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Midnight in Chernobyl
- The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Military
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Summary
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.
The dramatic untold story of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, based on original reporting and new archival research.
Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering history’s worst nuclear disaster. In the 30 years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens but all of humanity. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda and misinformation, has long remained in dispute.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than 10 years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs and documents from recently declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a masterful nonfiction thriller and the definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human and more terrifying than the Soviet myth.
Midnight in Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of one of the great disasters of the 20th century, of human resilience and ingenuity and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will - lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats - remain not just vital but necessary.
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What listeners say about Midnight in Chernobyl
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jamie Cowan
- 09-04-19
Amazing!
I visited Chernobyl in November 2017 having put around ten years of work into researching the disaster, though after visiting, I felt I'd learnt everything I could and it felt like the end of the road.
With the new HBO series due for release, my interest was suddenly revamped, and I checked for books on Chernobyl and this one popped up.
I feel like I've learned so much more from this book as it puts more of a personal turn on things, and even had a few shocking moments when they mention where someones flat was and I thought "Oh my god, I remember walking by that exact one!"
The first while might be a bit dry of you're only interested in the thrill of the disaster as it covers the history of nuclear power and the Soviet nuclear power programme, but I 100% encourage you to muscle through it as this book is easily one of, if not actually the best I've read!
11 people found this helpful
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- David
- 19-02-19
Great explanation of events
Brilliant book slightly dodgy pronunciation of some words such as bitumen and collate that gets more annoying each time you hear it.
5 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-03-21
Very-very poor narrator
The narrator has a voice like a girl receiving flowers from her boyfriend.
About the book... don’t know what to say. I’ve read some good books about this subject, but this one.,. simply boring and with sometime wrong information.
For me... lowest experience.
3 people found this helpful
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- lisasarcy
- 19-05-19
Makes the subject accessible
I’m not a science person, so any book that can cover a lot of scientific ground pretty much from start to finish without losing me is a winner.
This is a well presented look at the background, the history, the politics, the science, and the people involved.
It covers the stories of various individuals, managing to make you care, but never overstepping the line into being sentimental or sensational about deaths.
The narration is very good. A little fast, given the amount of unfamiliar names and the science involved, but still very clear and well performed.
This is the only book on the subject I’ve read, so I really don’t know how accurate it is. But if you are looking for a good overview of the story rather than a definitive work, then I can absolutely recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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- W.Fenlon
- 18-10-20
Fascinating and frightening.
A solid four stars.
Really enjoyed this audiobook.
It's informative, frightening and quite upsetting at times.
Recommended
1 person found this helpful
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- C. D. Turner
- 22-06-19
Great book
Great on technical detail, and the Human stories behind this disaster. Well balanced, both in the failings of the Soviet System, its Nuclear program, and the risks of Nuclear power.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr. A. Gillis
- 14-06-19
Required Reading
If you're interested in watching the new Chernobyl TV programme, watch this first.
Excellent writing and difficult concepts underpinning nuclear power described well without being patronising.
1 person found this helpful
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- Colin Pearson
- 31-03-22
Brilliant Read
Loved this Audio Book, such an important event well documented and narrated. very interesting to hear the full story after only seeing the events on the Netfix series.
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- Daniel C.
- 17-03-22
Very well researched.
This is a very factual and well researched book. If you are after an easy listen or one that provides a mild insight into the subject then this isn’t the one for you.
This is at times a tough listen that really requires you to concentrate on the matter at hand to get the most out of it.
I wanted to learn more of the finite detail around the Chernobyl disaster this provided me with exactly what I wanted.
Both incredibly sad yet informative at the same tome it’s well worth a listen if you’re in the mood for being educated and don’t mind learning a few new words of the Queens.
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- David P McManus
- 12-03-22
Great, if sad, story
A good factual, and personal perspective of this tragedy. Once you become attuned to the language of nuclear physics it becomes easier to follow. Well paced narrative and some harrowing descriptions highlighting the bravery of the Ukrainians.
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-03-19
Well researched and well written
A terrific narration ..and the topic was covered without recourse to ideology or persuasion. makes me want to visit the site
3 people found this helpful
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- Mackenzie
- 24-12-19
Non-stop anti-USSR propaganda
10 per cent fact, 90 per cent fiction how this became a NY Times best book mystifies me. I could not get to the reactor blowing before abandoning this ridiculous account of a major nuclear accident. Much detail (fiction) on the corruption and governing style of the Soviets; sparse verified fact.