The Girls of Atomic City

The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

By: Denise Kiernan

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. That is, until the end of the war - when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed.

Drawing on the voices of the women who lived it - women who are now in their eighties and nineties - The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of American history from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage. Combining the grand-scale human drama of The Worst Hard Time with the intimate biography and often troubling science of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Girls of Atomic City is a lasting and important addition to our country's history.

©2013 Denise Kiernan (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Intriguing slice of history

The focus may be on the young women, but this is not only a thorough look at the varied backgrounds from which they came, but an entertaining history of Oak Ridge and the social currents involved in an unplanned community isolated by distance and the paranoia of secrecy. J

I had no idea

I had no idea about the origins of Oak Ridge, TN and its connection with the Manhattan Project. This is a fascinating story, well told through the lives of people who lived and worked there. Though these events are before my time, I am astounded that I have never heard anything about this part of American history. My only negative comment about the book is that I had a difficult time keeping track of the many characters since the story jumps from one person to another. Don't let that discourage you from listening, however. I truly enjoyed this book.

Fantastic history

My mother was born in post war oak Ridge and I hoped to learn more about her past. This book surpassed all my hopes

Girls Are Doing it For Themselves!

If you could sum up The Girls of Atomic City in three words, what would they be?

Inspiring, Surprising, Interesting

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Girls of Atomic City?

When the women started to realize why and what they were working on an why it had been so secretive

What about Cassandra Campbell’s performance did you like?

Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators for non-fiction books. I am more likely to choose a book I might not otherwise be interested in if she is narrating it. She breathes life into all the stories and has a way of making me want to learn even more on a subject (well, the author has something to do with that too)

Excellent

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was not just a history of Oak Ridge and the facilities there, but also a look at the immediate impact of dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It was very well told.

Ok but below my expectation

I was a bit disappointed this book. Did not like how it was organized.
I also thought the narration not very compellng.

Couldn't get past chapter five

Would you try another book from Denise Kiernan and/or Cassandra Campbell?

Between the author's seemingly endless unecessary exposition during (at least some of) the women's stories, and the narrotor's cloyingly soft voice and slow narration--I had it at 1.5x speed, and in places bumped it to 2x--I couldn't make it past chapter five. This will be my first request for a refund.

Fascinating story, slightly stilted performance

The performance of this intriguing story is a little bit stilted, resulting in a less interesting listen. The mystery surrounding the Atomic City is quite high at the beginning of the novel, but takes awhile to get going. Each character's story is a bit disjunct, making the book difficult to follow, especially as an audio book.

Interesting piece of history

Gives us some of the human side of the war effort and personal sacrifices that had to be made in order to finish WWII. It is ironic that the preservation of freedom had to be accomplished in such a heavily controlled environment. The book also does an excellent job of dispatinatly reporting the criminal treatment of our black citizens who made even greater sacrifices for the concept of "liberty and justice for all", even as the society of the time denied them of these rights that should be enjoyed by all.

Well written

Well written and interesting for a local. However, it would have been nice for the narrator to pronounce local names as the locals do. We are more or less accustomed to Appalachian to be mispronounced, though it instantly tags you as not from here. However, mispronouncing Gatlinburg is simply not OK. If one is narrating in the voice of a local, one should strive to get the easy things.

Other than that small thing, well done. Absolutely worth listening to.