The Discovery of the Atomic Bomb - Book Report/Review Example

The Discovery of the Atomic Bomb The title of the book gives a description of part of a war story, ingenuity, heroism, irrevocable decision, secrecy and tension. The author of the book, Sheinkin, uses the lives of saboteurs, scientists and spies to give the story of the creation of the atomic bomb. According to the book, Otto Hahn, a chemist who used to work in a Germany lab made a peculiar discovery in December, 1938. This was the time when the imperialistic and destructive march of Hitler’s ruling created fear and alarm throughout the world. He discovered that the atom of uranium splits into two when placed near radioactive materials. This discovery marked the beginning of a scientific race in three continents. Soviet spies found their way into the community of scientists in the US and Great Britain (Sheinkin 32). In Norway, an army crossed enemy lines to attack the heavy-watered manufacturing. In the desert areas of the New Mexico, a group of intelligent scientists was hiding at Los Alamos, a remote site, while working on creating the bomb. Hahn’s discovery brought about plotting, risk taking, deceit and genius that led to the creation of the weapon, the atomic bomb, that was the most forbidden in the world. The discovery resulted to the eruption of World War 2. This is because the Germans started sharing their discovery with their colleagues around the world. The discovery was the route to creating the most powerful bomb in the world. The author of the book integrates three different story lines that tell about the creation of the atomic bomb. The first story involves the US trying to develop the bomb. The second story is about the Soviets trying to steal the bomb from Americans through informants and spies. The third story involves the attempts by the Allies to sabotage the bomb program of the Germans. The main subjects of Steve Sheinkin’s book include the competition to come up with the atomic bomb, spies, secret parachute missions, communists and scientific breakthroughs. The story of the book might sound like fiction. It is, however, true. After proving that it was possible for uranium atoms to split into two when hit by neutrons from radioactive elements, the discovery quickly spread in the world of physicians. This raised a competition to see who could use the idea to create an atomic bomb. The US tapped physician Robbert Oppenheimer to lead the Manhattan Project (Sheinkin 84). The laboratory that was to be used in creating the bomb and testing radioactive elements was located at Los Alamos. The author of the book, Sheinkins pieces together the use of quotes, narrative style, small details and detailed research to come up with a highly engaging story. In the book, the author provides a clear description of the first time the atomic bomb was experimented in Los Alamos at the Trinity site. The scientists who were involved in the testing gathered inside a bomb shelter and watched the results through thick glass pieces. These glasses were used to protect their sight. The scientists were happy at the success of their test. However, Oppenheimer and his crew of scientists had no idea that Klaus Fuchs had smuggled documents from their lab out of Los Alamos. Fuchs had handed the documents to the Soviets. In the book, Sheinkin gives a balanced reason as to why America decided to use the atomic bomb. He also describes the devastating effects that the bomb that were imposed on the Japanese people. The death of many citizens and the grim outcome of the atomic bomb plagued Oppenheimer for many years. The book also explores the battle between ethics and science. This is revealed as the book comes to an end when Oppenheimer requests the officials in Washington to practice diplomacy instead of using bombs. In the last chapters of the book, Sheinkin gives information on how the spies who stole the documents that contained the plans for the bomb were investigated, arrested and prosecuted in the court of law. According to the book, Germany had the advantage in the quest to unleash the power of the atom. This is because the concept of fission was discovered in Berlin. The Nazis started controlling the production of the materials that were required in the making of the bomb after Germany invaded Europe. These materials included heavy water and uranium. The US devised a secrete strategy of secretly inviting the best scientists in the world. The scientists were mostly invited in Los Alamos. Here, they worked under the supervision of Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist. Consequently, scientists from all over the US disappeared. At Los Alamos in New Mexico, Oppenheimer was in charge of the Manhattan Project. In the nuclear research, the Soviet Union was far much behind compared to the US and Germany. As the World War 2 ranged, the US and England developed determination to find out ways of creating the atomic bomb. The two nations also strived to prevent Germany from creating the bomb. In Norway, men were trained to infiltrate their homeland with the aim of destroying what the authorities believed to be facilities that would boost the bomb effort of the Nazi. This land is currently occupied by the Germans (Sheinkin 148). Despite the US and England allying the USSR, the two nations were determined to keep the Soviets away from the information concerning the atomic bomb. However, the Soviets had reliable spies and informants who were close to the Manhattan Project. Some of the Soviet spies and informants worked in the bomb project. The Soviet Union had the intentions of stealing the plans of creating the atomic bomb from the Americans. This is because the Soviet did not have scientists who could create a weapon of that kind. This implies that it could have taken them many years to develop their own nuclear bomb from scratch. The book gives the story of the Norwegian saboteurs who ruined the capability of Hitler to develop nuclear materials. The author of the book achieved this through the use of information that was found in declassified government reports and archival materials. The book also explains how the spies who transported scientific discoveries across international borders, a time when the world was at war. The spies also ferried scientists with the capability of building the atomic bomb. In the book, Sheinkin gives the story of Ted Hall who was a science and math prodigy. According to the author, Hall graduated from Harvard University at the age of eighteen. He was immediately snapped to work with Oppenheimer at the atomic bomb lab. Before the age of nineteen, Hall knew a lot about the design of the atomic bomb than any other person. He was, however, tempted to share the secrets of the bomb with the Soviets (Sheinkin 197). The author also tells about the story of young volunteers from Norway who sneaked into Germany. In a series of risky commando raids, the young teenagers targeted resources and factories that were important to the atomic research that Germany was carrying out. The story line of the book is designed in a way that it shows real strength. The author uses many photos at the start of each chapter and also at the end of the book. He, however, tells the main story through text. This design will be etched in my mind and heart. This is because the story is enthralling. The human connection that the book brought into existence is the horrific destruction and pain experienced by Hiroshima people after the bomb was dropped. Work Cited Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2012. Print. Read More