Idaho Falls: The Untold Story of America's First Nuclear Accident

This book certainly felt more like a popular crime novel than a history of the SL-1 accident. There is a good deal of information here that hasn't been addressed in other works that I've read, so it was a very interesting read. The author includes information on the men involved in the accident and certain events that may have influenced what happened.
The author seems to base most of this information on interviews with people involved in the event, which gives a less than authoritative feel to the book. Not to say I didn't enjoy it. While other works have discussed this event, they did not go into the kind of detail found here. The fascinating (if not gruesome) aftermath of the event is discussed in great detail, such as the recovery show more of the bodies and the autopsies.
The author's style is a bit odd at times. He refers to the reactor as buzzing like bees multiple times, which I found distracting. I've never been close enough to a reactor to hear it, but I doubt it resembles bees very much. The author also seems to dance around the big love-triangle theory that is associated with this accident. While I found the love-triangle referred to multiple times, the author doesn't give a solid description of what was alleged to have happened, or any evidence to support this was the case at all. This was quite frustrating and makes me resistant to the idea that a love triangle was really responsible for what happened.
To the book's credit, some of the photos included were excellent and really added to my understanding of the accident and the aftermath.
Despite the flaws, this would be an interesting read for anyone interested in those odd historical events that aren't well known; as well as those interested in atomic history. In the end, I have to say I liked it, despite the flaws. show less

recommended by Pancha