by Adam Higginbotham, 2019, Simon & Schuster

Excellent book although somewhat difficult to digest due to all the individual characters involved and their Russian names which make it hard to follow.  I was not aware of the causes of the disaster nor the extent of the response that the USSR initiated to contain the disaster.

The main thing I learned from the book is the impact that the Chernobyl disaster had in accelerating the downfall of the Soviet Union.  The economy was already reeling from the mismanagement of the agricultural sector and the arms race with the U.S., but it appears that the Chernobyl disaster was the nail in the coffin due to the extraordinary expense and other resources that had to be allocated to cleaning up the disaster.

The other main aspect of the disaster was the uncovering of the flaws in the government’s peacetime nuclear power program.  Rather than being the greatest scientific program ever developed as was asserted by the USSR, the design of the plant was extremely dangerous.  The government was reluctant to admit to these flaws and also attempted to cover up the extent of the release of radioactivity.  Once the truth began to be exposed, it further discredited the government which also contributed to the eventual collapse of the USSR.

The book certainly isn’t very enjoyable to read, but the message it provides is meaningful.