Uranium

War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World

By: Tom Zoellner

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Uranium is a common element in the earth's crust and the only naturally occurring mineral with the power to end all life on the planet. After World War II, it reshaped the global order---whoever could master uranium could master the world. Marie Curie gave us hope that uranium would be a miracle panacea, but the Manhattan Project gave us reason to believe that civilization would end with apocalypse.

Slave labor camps in Africa and Eastern Europe were built around mine shafts, and America would knowingly send more than 600 uranium miners to their graves in the name of national security. Fortunes have been made from this yellow dirt; massive energy grids have been run from it. Fear of it panicked the American people into supporting a questionable war with Iraq, and its specter threatens to create another conflict in Iran. Now, some are hoping it can help avoid a global warming catastrophe.

In Uranium, Tom Zoellner takes readers around the globe in this intriguing look at the mineral that can sustain life or destroy it.

©2008 Tom Zoellner (P)2009 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A rich journalistic account." ( Kirkus)

The rage of power

This book makes blood diamond look like a smashed tomato on the hi way. It can show the creativity of man kinds search for the things that could help the human race, while others seek to distroy. This book just adds information to the murders of innocents in Heroshima and Nagasaki and now, probaly just as many Africans are dead to justify any means to succeed in a almost useless quest of who is right only to be proven wrong centuries later. I applaud the writer for his bravery to tell the truth. To combat a history clouded with deception and untruths. Maybe this book will stop the next hollacoust. This book gives me a broader understanding of the history of the nuclear age. This book only incourages me to educate others about our new age, the wonders that it has to offer, the precautions that we have to take in order to make the world a better place for all humans.

I really enjoyed the educational fact about the history of the discovery of this precious mineral. The information keeps me glued in attention to the book. cant wait for your next book. I also like the way thing are broken down to the layman that that is not a rocket scientist, In some cases this book is like the nuclear age for dummies. live long and prosper

Great Subject, Tepid Narration

I'm of much the same opinion as others that the subject matter is immensely interesting and well written. The narrator needed to have not added his stupid accents, they detracted throughout.

solidly researched book

Zoellner pulled together some pretty solid research to convey a contemporary story about uranium. His no nonsense narrative takes the reader from deep in the mine up to the sky where the bomb is dropped. Narration is solid.

Great for What It Is

In what I would loosely call a postmodern way, Tom Zoeliner deconstructs Uranium. He deals with the mineral historically calling up characters from the past with vivid description. Prospectors, researchers, political figures, international intrigue, smuggling, --- its all here. If you are looking for science, per se, you'll not find it here. If you want a broader understanding of the basic science and the socio/political/economic context in which Uranium resides, then you are in luck. This is a journalistic rather than an academic tome. If you don't have a knowledge of Uranium AND you have even a passing interest in the subject OR you are willing to engage yourself in an unfamiliar toic, this book might just be for you. The writing is very good and Patrick Lawlor is a great narrator as well.

Probably have a reason to read this

I worked in militray and civilian nuclear power for 13 years and now live in Wyoming so this book was very interesting to me. My wife thinks I'm wierd but I throughly enjoyed it. Good history lessons.

We go boom?

This is basically the biography of Uranium. The history of how it was discovered and evolved to what it is today was a great listen, especially considering the time we're in with everyone trying to get the bomb.

This powerful quote from the book's introduction sums it all up, " From dust to dust, the Earth came seeded with the means of it's own destruction--a geological original sin."

The news is always talking about if terrorists ever got nuclear weapons how easy it would be to use them. After reading this book, I have become more fearful at the ease in which this could happen. If someone is determined to get uranium, I don't doubt that they will. There is little accounting of stuff by world governments and even some the inventory they know they are supposed to have goes missing.

It was scary to read about some boys finding some in a field (nobody knows how the ore they found got there) and hitting it with a hammer because it made nice sparks. Yikes! I never knew how precariously we are balanced on the nuclear precipice and now, unfortunately, have to believe it is only a matter of time until some nuclear terrorism occurs.

excellent

very well done. very enjoyable. It connected so many things. everyone should understand this history.

Fascinating Element

For a "biography" about an element - this was a very good book. Its pace was consistent and covered numerous aspect of its history. Given uranium's impact on society, more people should understand its history and what it really is...

Patrick Lawlor did a great job of reading/performing.

I was surprised it did not cover more about the its first use in WWII but this has probably been covered by other authors many times over.

Good History but the Narrator is ludicrous

This is a decent book and worth it even though it meanders a bit. The narration is it's worst aspect. For some reason, the narrator tries to do any and all quotes in lame accents and drawls. His poor accents detract from the story all all run together. If he just used a normal voice, he would have been fine...in an audio book, the narrator really matters...that said I would probably get the book instead.

4-star book with 2-star narration

This book is informative and pretty well-written, but the narrator makes the baffling choice to read every quote (and there are several throughout the book) in a different voice, most of which sound absolutely ridiculous. Totally out of place in a serious non-fiction book, and I have no clue why somebody...the producer, for one...didn't stop him from narrating in this way.

Seriously. His accented voices are truly terrible...along the lines of "Vee haff veys to make you talk".

It's not quite bad enough to make me stop listening to the book (which is quite interesting), but it's enough to irritate me every single time he does it.