In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age
Adopting a skeptical perspective on its subject, Cooke introduces her survey of the worldwide nuclear industry as being animated by disquiet toward a possible revival of the civilian-nuclear complex in the U.S. Accordingly, she emphasizes hazards inherent in nuclear power technology, recounts such notorious accidents as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and summarizes the developmental histories of nuclear weapons programs in countries that have (or, like South Africa, had) the bomb. Parallel to the activities of nuclear enthusiasts, Cooke presents the stories of proposals for international control of atomic power, which eventuated in various arms control and nonproliferation conventions and organizations, such as the IAEA. But the worried purport of the narrative is that any government wanting a nuclear-industrial complex will do whatever is necessary to create one. A veteran reporter on nuclear matters, Cooke is well-informed, meriting the attention of readers debating whether civilian nuclear energy can be safely generated and is worth its intimate connection to the production of fissile material. --Gilbert Taylor