This is a wonderful book. It covers the causes and effects of the Chernobyl catastrophe, and the event-sequence of its occurrence, better than any popular work has yet done. I do have one gripe about the technical presentation (more below), but the book overall is so outstanding that I'm giving the five stars anyway, and never mind the logical inconsistency.
The main aspects of the story of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion and meltdown are the history of the USSR nuclear industry; the society and environment within which the civilian (electricity-generation) arm of the industry operated; the technical aspects of the disaster itself; the enormous Soviet recovery effort; the medical, health and environmental effects; and the long-term consequences and aftermath. No author can be a specialist at them all, but Mr Higginbotham nevertheless handles than all with equal facility, thoroughness and clarity. It's a tour de force.
One of my other reviews is of 'Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy' by the Ukrainian writer Serhii Plokhy. It's good but is simply outshone by 'Midnight...'. Mr Higginbotham's work is superior in its technical exposition of the disaster; in its use of numbers and radiation metrics; in its description of the immediate Soviet response; on the construction of the sarcophagus; on what happened inside the entombed reactor in subsequent years; and, critically, in its assessment and identification of the underlying causes. In an unsentimental way, 'Midnight...' also expresses compassion for the victims as well as the poignancy of the consequences affecting individuals. Lastly, and in contrast to Mr Plokhy, 'Midnight...' seems to me to remain at all times politically disinterested and impartial.
For identification of underlying cause -- as opposed to the immediate technical triggers of the accident -- I can do no better than quote from page 347: '...the origins of the Chernobyl disaster lay in a combination of "scientific, technological, socioeconomic, and human factors" unique to the USSR. The Soviet nuclear industry, lacking even rudimentary safety practices, had relied upon its operators to behave with robotic precision night after night, despite constant pressure to beat deadlines and "exceed the plan" that made disregard for the letter of the regulations almost inevitable.' Case rests.
The gripe? Yes. Mr Higginbotham's technical account of how fission reactors operate (pp35-38) doesn't maintain a continuous logical thread. Reading and re-reading didn't clarify for me the inherent design flaw of the Soviet RBMK reactor. One sentence on p38 threw me and left me guessing: "In reactors that use water as both coolant and moderator, as the volume of steam increases, fewer neutrons are slowed, so reactivity falls.". This seems counterintuitive: surely, if *fewer* neutrons are slowed, reactivity would tend *not* to fall? Explanation came from a high-school physics text that I paraphrase and summarise thus:
-Natural uranium comes in two isotopes: Uranium238 (99.3%) and Uranium235 (0.7%).
-Fission is caused by neutrons striking uranium atoms.
-Fast neutrons are caused by fission of U235 atoms.
-Fast neutrons striking U238 do not cause fission.
-Fast neutrons striking U235 cause negligible fission.
-Slow neutrons are only slightly absorbed by U238, and cause negligible fission.
-**Slow neutrons striking U235 cause fission**.
-For U235 fission to happen such that a self-sustaining chain reaction may occur, there needs to be sufficient mass of U235 (at least 2-3% enriched) in the total (U238+U235) mass of uranium.
-Then, a good neutron moderator -- water or graphite -- is needed to **slow down enough fast neutrons** to sustain a chain reaction in U235.
-If the moderator is water (most Western reactors), and if the water boils and turns to steam, steam is far less effective as moderator than water, *fewer* neutrons are slowed and the continuing U235 reaction stops spontaneously.
-If the moderator is graphite (Chernobyl RBMK) and if surrounding coolant water boils and turns to steam, neutron moderation by the graphite is unchanged (the chain reaction continues) but the neutron absorbtion function of the coolant water reduces.
-Moderation by the graphite as a consequence increases; reactivity increases; heat increases; more coolant water turns to steam and the escalation (expressed as the *positive void*) continues.
-The unchecked result is fire in the graphite.
-To control and reduce moderation by the graphite, the control rods must be inserted in the graphite core, and they **must work**.
A layman's sequencing, perhaps, which I am sure experts will fault. But it is logically joined-up and is superior to the explanations given by either Messrs. Higginbotham or Plokhy.
Gripe allowed for, Midnight in Chernobyl is a fabulous book that I recommend unreservedly.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Kindle Edition
"Please retry" | — | — |
|
Audible Audiobooks, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
£0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Library binding
"Please retry" |
—
| £53.28 | — |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
—
| — | — |
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book.
Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Additional details
Small Business
Shop products from small and medium business brands and artisans in your community sold in Amazon’s store. Discover more about the small businesses partnering with Amazon, and Amazon’s commitment to empowering them.
Small Business
This product is from a small and medium business brand based in the U.K. Support small.
School Books
From pre-school to A-levels, find School Books for all ages Shop now
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your basket.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Adam Higginbotham writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, Businessweek, Smithsonian, Men’s Journal, and The Atavist. He began his career in magazines and newspapers in London, where he was the editor-in-chief of The Face and a contributing editor at The Sunday Telegraph. The author of Midnight in Chernobyl, he lives in New York City.
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
