Atomic Fragments: A Daughter's Questions
Palevsky's parents worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, developing the atomic bomb, and she grew up with their ambivalence toward their weapons work. After their deaths, she began to explore the subject, interviewing Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Joseph Rotblat, Herbert York, Philip Morrison, Robert Wilson, and David Hawkins, among others. At the outset, she seems relatively clear about what she hopes to learn from these interviews, but the more she introduces her own philosophical considerations, the more difficult it becomes to determine just what she is thinking. Even more confusing is some of her thoughts on Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of nuclear weapons. The epilog, ranging from discussions with Freeman Dyson to musings about confrontations with her parents, seems particularly fragmented. The body of the work, however, is quite interesting, and one is impressed by the graciousness of the people with whom Palevsky discussed these still controversial subjects. Recommended for public and academic libraries and relevant special collections.DHilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CACopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.