The Girls of Atomic City: the Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War Ii
nat says:
Although everyone has heard of the Manhattan Project and Los Alamos, the story of Oak Ridge, Tennessee is integral to the completion of the project.The massive recruitment process was fascinating. It detailed virtually nothing to potential workers except a good wage and the possibility of helping bring an end to the war. “The Project liked high school girls, especially those from rural backgrounds. Recruiters sought them out relentlessly, feeling young women were easy to instruct. The...y did what they were told. They weren’t overly curious. If you tell a young woman of 18 from a small-town background to do something, she’ll do it, no questions asked.”Although locals had suspicions about Oak Ridge (“Everything’s goin’ in and nothin’s comin’ out.”) it is amazing that no facts about the work going on there became public until after the bomb was used on Hiroshima.This book covers many different aspects of the project: scientific, social emotional, religious, and political. There is so much to consider in how the work of these women affected their lives and how the work they did affects our lives still today.
hugpool101 says:
3.5 stars. This is the untold story of women working on the atomic bomb in WWII. They are relocated to Tennesee and not told where they are going by train. Their work is top secret, and they are not allowed to discuss with anyone (including each other) what they are doing. Conditions were unsanitary and food not very good, but decent wages made up for it. I found the book's construction to be disjointed. Numerous characters are brought into the story. There is a list of characters and their descriptions of who they are, but most could have been eliminated. I would have preferred the story be told chapter by chapter by a few main characters. I read this for our book club. It was interesting but otherwise average.MoreLess
Although everyone has heard of the Manhattan Project and Los Alamos, the story of Oak Ridge, Tennessee is integral to the completion of the project.The massive recruitment process was fascinating. It detailed virtually nothing to potential workers except a good wage and the possibility of helping bring an end to the war. “The Project liked high school girls, especially those from rural backgrounds. Recruiters sought them out relentlessly, feeling young women were easy to instruct. The...y did what they were told. They weren’t overly curious. If you tell a young woman of 18 from a small-town background to do something, she’ll do it, no questions asked.”Although locals had suspicions about Oak Ridge (“Everything’s goin’ in and nothin’s comin’ out.”) it is amazing that no facts about the work going on there became public until after the bomb was used on Hiroshima.This book covers many different aspects of the project: scientific, social emotional, religious, and political. There is so much to consider in how the work of these women affected their lives and how the work they did affects our lives still today.
hugpool101 says:
3.5 stars. This is the untold story of women working on the atomic bomb in WWII. They are relocated to Tennesee and not told where they are going by train. Their work is top secret, and they are not allowed to discuss with anyone (including each other) what they are doing. Conditions were unsanitary and food not very good, but decent wages made up for it. I found the book's construction to be disjointed. Numerous characters are brought into the story. There is a list of characters and their descriptions of who they are, but most could have been eliminated. I would have preferred the story be told chapter by chapter by a few main characters. I read this for our book club. It was interesting but otherwise average.MoreLess
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