Olson writes lucidly, making even the most recondite details of the science involved clear to a nonscientist. And he’s eloquent in his chronicling of the lives affected — and sometimes destroyed — by the invention and use of the world’s most deadly weapon.

Olson buttresses his argument for Hanford’s significance with historic facts such as these, but also with personal anecdotes and present-day insights.

I wish that Mr. Olson had spent some time discussing the problems that the Los Alamos people had working with plutonium.

In accessible prose, [Olson] explores all the scientific complexities, offering a vivid picture of the dawning nuclear age.

... those looking for a digestible and humanistic version of events will find Olson’s book fascinating and thought provoking. The rare crossover nonfiction for history and science readers to enjoy and ponder..

... a captivating, unnerving history.

... a lucid, fast-paced chronicle of the discovery and weaponization of plutonium and the unforeseen consequences of the nuclear arms race. Delving deeply into the history of the Hanford nuclear facility in south-central Washington State, the first full-scale nuclear reactor in the world, Olson documents how material produced at Hanford as part of the Manhattan Project during WWII was tested at the Trinity site in New Mexico and used in the bomb detonated over Nagasaki in August 1945.