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Midnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster | Adam Higginbotham
Journalist Adam Higginbothams definitive, years-in-the-making account of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disasterand a powerful investigation into how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the twentieth centurys greatest disasters. Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering historys worst nuclear disaster. In the thirty 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 its citizens and the entire world. 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 Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to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 twentieth century, of human resilience and ingenuity, and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his willlessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary.
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LatrelWhite
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In our world there are always untold stories things in the past we don‘t want to believe or we feel a certain about, but it‘s our world our history. This book is another like my previous post (Stamped from the Beginning) history we need to embrace the good the bad and the ugly.

fredthemoose This just came in for me from the library! 6mo
LatrelWhite @fredthemoose This is this months pick from a Bookclub on Instagram by an actress I just love she started it a yr ago #feedyourmindbookclub this was really a great pic I probably would have never read this even though I always wanted to to the read details about Chernobyl. It‘s very informative and sad. I‘m almost done.😔 6mo
hefau I couldn‘t put this down when I got it. I watched the HBO miniseries Chernobyl afterward, and they complemented each other very well. 6mo
15 likes1 stack add3 comments
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LatrelWhite
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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 thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning. #feedyourmindbookclub

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OrangeMooseReads
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Pickpick

Excellent look into the accident at Chernobyl. I always forget that there were multiple reactors and it was only one, reactor 4, that failed/melted down.
Of course in classic bureaucratic fashion they blamed the workers and not the shoddy construction and inadequate materials used. They also ignored the multiple safety concerns.
The devastation that this caused is unreal.

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OrangeMooseReads
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Up next.
Man Cub, my parents, and I were talking about Chernobyl the other night because of a clue on Jeopardy Masters tournament and it was a segment on the show ‘Mysteries at the Museum‘ the artifact was a ginger counter.
Too many signs pointing me to this book 😆

Sharpeipup Chernobyl was a question at my pub trivia this week. It‘s a great book! 10mo
Amiable Fantastic read! 10mo
46 likes2 comments
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DarkMina
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Excellent 💛📚 11mo
Eggs Oh I need to read this 11mo
SamAnne I keep meaning to get to this one! 11mo
DarkMina @SamAnne I really liked it. 11mo
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Maria514626
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The first part of this is like watching a very slow-moving car crash. A call-the-police-and-ambulance-and-fire-department crash.

This is fascinating although it‘s sometimes over my head—physics is not my forte. It‘s very tough to put down. Thus, I‘m alternating between audio and print. 😄

Another book I wouldn‘t have picked up except for #auldlangspine. Thanks, @Sharpeipup 🙌🙌🙌
And thanks, @monalyisha 🤗🥳

Sharpeipup I understand there is a documentary as well but I have not seen it.
To me, it was like reading a soap opera with scientists and politicians.
1y
Maria514626 @Sharpeipup The characters certainly act like that. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ 1y
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Lizpixie
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Still struggling with my reading, I‘m actually getting depressed about it honestly. Reading is my life! So I‘m rereading this amazing book about Chernobyl & this passage jumped out at me. I had no idea the Hiroshima bomb could‘ve been so much more devastating than it was. How terrifying!💣☢️💀

MrsMalaprop Oh that‘s tough Liz. Wishing you reading mojo 🧞‍♀️📖🙏💕. 2y
Moonprismpower You will find a way through it. I‘m really only reading graphic novels atm. 2y
Tamra Oh, that really is terrifying. 2y
CarolynM Sending love and hugs💕 2y
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Sharpeipup
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🤯🤯🤯
With Chernobyl in the news again, I felt it was time to finally read this one.

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OriginalCyn620
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Pickpick

The lies, the secrecy, and the outright disregard for citizens safety is absolutely deplorable. Even for 1980s Russia, it‘s hard to believe! I can‘t say I enjoyed this, considering the subject matter, it just seems weird to say that. But I‘m glad I read it. I was only 14 when Chernobyl happened, and now I know more in detail what happened, the attempted cover up, and the aftermath.

#bookspinbingo - free space
#pop22 - about a man-made disaster

OriginalCyn620 #booked2022 - written by a journalist 2y
Reagan This is on my list, the HBO series is so good too. 2y
OriginalCyn620 @Reagan I‘ve heard the series is really good but I just don‘t think I can watch it. Reading the book was infuriating and heartbreaking enough! 2y
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Reagan @OriginalCyn620 that‘s actually why I haven‘t read the book yet! That series haunts me. 2y
Cinfhen I recently read this too! So upsetting but I‘m not surprised, especially in light of what‘s happening now 💔 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

An infuriating and heartbreaking true account of the nuclear power plant disaster that took place in Ukraine in the late 1980‘s. More than anything, the way the Soviet‘s tried to coverup the disaster and ultimately betrayed hundreds of thousands of its own citizens and others around the globe was devastating to read. Higginnbotham did a great job of making the science easy to grasp and humanizing the story.

TrishB Great review 👍🏻 my sister was pregnant at Chernobyl time. My nephew developed cancer within a year of birth. A very rare cancer of which there was a cluster in the U.K. at the time, research says it was down to Chernobyl fall out!! He is 34 now and been fine since he was 6, but it was scary times. (edited) 2y
Cinfhen That is terrifying @TrishB and I‘m sure England wasn‘t the only non Soviet country to see/feel the effects years later. I‘m so glad he‘s ok today and lived a normal healthy life💚 2y
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MicheleinPhilly @TrishB Jesus! That‘s horrifying! 2y
squirrelbrain That is awful @TrishB ! 2y
TrishB @Cinfhen @MicheleinPhilly it feels like history now, but I remember being 19 and feeling totally overwhelmed- but then thinking how must my sister and BIL feel. Not something you ever want to go through. 2y
TrishB @squirrelbrain it was awful ❤️ I look at him proudly now and he says himself he can‘t really remember it so we don‘t talk about it a lot with him. 2y
Hooked_on_books He did such a good job with so book. So good. And yes, such a heartbreaking story. 2y
Cortg All governments cover up way too much all throughout history and today. @TrishB Wow! I‘m glad he survived and doesn‘t remember much from that time. ❤️ 2y
CarolynM @TrishB I'm so glad your nephew's story had a happy ending. I hadn't heard about that consequence of Chernobyl. 2y
Cathythoughts @TrishB that‘s so scary .. thank god your nephew has been well sinse then ❤️ 2y
TrishB @Cortg @CarolynM @Cathythoughts thank you friends ♥️ 2y
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KristiAhlers
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Pickpick

Just wow. I feel so bad for those that were lied to in such a disgusting way just so the powers that be could save face. Very detailed and good accounting of what took place in Pripyat.

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Cinfhen
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OMG!! The level of dishonesty, false information and total disregard for the public‘s well being is SHOCKING!!!! #PoP22 #ManMadeDisaster #NF22 #ImADisaster

TrishB That was definitely never their priority. 2y
Cortg I read this one last year. Very disheartening on so many levels. 2y
Lizpixie This was one of my top reads of 2020 I think. I was so indignant of behalf of the poor people of the Ukraine. This disaster looms large in my memory, the Cold War had me terrified of anything nuclear! 2y
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KarenUK Paul read this and thought it was excellent. He then watched the HBO series which he also loved. 2y
BarbaraBB I read another book about it and was equally shocked 2y
Megabooks I agree. I read this first but it hit me even harder reading 2y
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abbyreadz
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Pickpick

Great book to read if you‘re obsessed with what happened in Chernobyl like me. Also I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was phenomenal!

RamsFan1963 This book blew me away. The scene where the man comes out at the top of the stairs and realizes he's looking down into the heart of a nuclear reactor and that he's already dead, will stay with me forever. 2y
abbyreadz @RamsFan1963 soooo true, and how he tried to save to younger worker from looking into it like him 🥺 2y
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paisleyjess
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Usually I read with a beer but this felt more appropriate when battling a cold and reading about much worse things than the sniffles.

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VeraNyx
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Pickpick

I knew very little of this disaster. I pretty much only knew it happened. Holy crap the incompetence!! It's unbelievable. They wrote manuals on equipment not performing to its design rather than fixing it!!! So much of their actions I just wanted to pull my hair out.

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DarkMina
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Eggs Brilliant 👏🏻📚👍🏼 3y
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CRoddy
Pickpick

So accessible considering I know nothing about nuclear physics. Explains the science behind the reactors for anyone to understand! A really great read

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cariashley
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Pickpick

Excellent narrative nonfiction. The audiobook was riveting, even though I had a little trouble keeping track of the Russian names in this format. Highly recommend!

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Rissreads
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Pickpick

This was a very interesting listen. I learnt a lot and was shocked with how things were covered up and not handled appropriately. Very sad and devastating consequences for a lot of innocent people.

Crazeedi 👋👋 Nerissa!! 3y
37 likes1 comment
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

This was well researched, well written, fascinating and terrifying. Not just the reactor itself exploding, which is horrific, but the dissection of the culture of secrecy, arrogance and fear of retribution that created the conditions that allowed the disaster to occur. Now I want to read Voices from Chernobyl.

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KateD1
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Pickpick

I would give this a 10/5.
This book is absolutely terrifying and gripping. It‘s flabbergasting that this is a true story. That something this horrible happened a little less than 40 years ago.
I recommend this to anyone and everyone.
#nonfiction #chernobyl #historical

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KateD1
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Good morning!
Coffee and books might be my favorite thing in the world.
#MorningReads #NonFiction #Chernobyl

10 likes1 stack add
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Hestapleton
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For hosting a Readathon I have gotten very little reading done 😅. I‘m just too tired to concentrate lately it seems. I do have to work tomorrow, but I‘m really hoping to wake up early enough to sneak some pages in before I clock in. Any sorts of tips to improve energy and concentration would be really appreciated!

JackOBotts I feel you! I‘ve been using my phone‘s “sleep training” function to keep a regular sleep schedule during the week and am trying to hydrate better. This helps me feel energized at the start of the week, but I always feel zapped by Friday... 3y
Hestapleton @JackOBotts I‘m definitely trying to work on hydration. I‘ll have to look into sleep training! 3y
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 Where did you get the thing on your thumb to hold your book open? I want one! 3y
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Hestapleton @BookBudget19 Amazon! Hubs got it for me for Christmas. Total game changer. 3y
bthegood HBO had a mini-series Chernobyl - very well done - stay hydrated, get rest and thx for hosting the #slumpathon. 3y
Hestapleton @bthegood I‘ve heard such good things about that series! And you are so welcome. Glad you had fun! ☺️ 3y
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 @Hestapleton I definitely need to get one. I've seen them on Amazon. My local bookstore has all kinds of fun book related stuff, but nothing like this. 3y
70 likes7 comments
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stretchkev
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Pickpick

An incredible harrowing account of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear facility. Soviet bureaucracy is intense with so many layers and so many people all in charge of small little pieces but not really responsible for anything at all.

Scary part is that these terribly flawed RBMK-1000 reactors are still in use to this day!

Godpants Such a good book and absolutely terrifying. Walking through every single misstep they took knowing what happened was SO STRESSFUL. 3y
33 likes1 comment
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AprilMae
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One of my 2021 resolutions is to get more organized. Since I'm cleaning my downstairs today, I figured I should organize my book case down here too.

cozypunk That's my favorite sort of cleaning. 😜 3y
25 likes1 comment
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Phobos_Deimos
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Bailedbailed

An amazingly well researched and well written account of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that I found chilling in its exactness. Many passages were riveting but the sheer breadth and density of characters, Soviet bureaucracy, decisions, etc. ultimately overwhelmed my admittedly lazy reading style. I stopped reading about halfway through but would still recommend it to anyone who is curious about the incident.

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Lauren_reading
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Pickpick

If you want to get angry and governments and men who are too proud to admit mistakes read this book. Don‘t get me wrong, it‘s an amazing book. I learned a lot, I cried for those affected and killed and cried even more for the pets left behind. But when you see how the meltdown could have been prevented in so many ways it just pisses you off.

valeriegeary What a pretty picture! Love the colors! 3y
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paulareadsallthetime
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The author did a great job of telling this horrific story without making it boring. “Thousands of dozing flies” stuck out to me. The government tried to cover this up from the very second it took place.

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mom2bugnbee
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I'm not a huge reader of nonfiction, but I do enjoy deep dives of historical events, especially those I remember personally. #12Booksof2020 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds interesting reading. 3y
writerlibrarian Nice, orignal graphic to post the books. Love it! 3y
mom2bugnbee @writerlibrarian @andrew65 gets credit for the original picture, but I thought that laying the books on top of each day was a nice way to display them. 3y
Andrew65 @mom2bugnbee It‘s a great way to display them! 🙌 3y
36 likes4 comments
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eanderson
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Robin!!! Thank you sooo much for the books, one for Matty and one for me. I‘m very excited about Midnight in Chernobyl. So much so I‘m scanning Mindhunter so I can start it sooner! 🤣 Thank you again for the lovely gifts!

robinb You are so welcome...so glad you and Matty like them!! ❤️💙💕 Merry Christmas, sweet friend! 3y
Cathythoughts Lovely gifts 🎁 (edited) 3y
42 likes2 comments
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Texreader
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Update for #novelnovember!

Finish:

✅ Attachment for #authoramonth
✅ A Freak of Freedom for #readingeurope2020 #SanMarino
✅ Midnight in Chernobyl for #Ukraine (review to come)
4. The Historian for #Slovenia

Make progress: The Dogs of Riga for #Latvia

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 3y
46 likes1 comment
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Texreader
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I‘ve been listening to this audiobook since Monday on my business trip but only just now thought to check out my IRL book. My dear husband and his family were in Norway during this catastrophe. My sister-in-law was still living in Helsinki, Finland. She has survived leukemia, which I still blame on the Chernobyl fallout, although she disagrees. Scandinavia, and especially Finland, took hard hits from this as did Eastern Europe. Tragic for so many.

GingerAntics She doesn‘t think her leukaemia has any link to Chernobyl? That seems like the most logical explanation. 3y
Megabooks It was terribly sad that they used humans to the point of extreme illness and death in the cleanup. It is also terrible that no one had made a better way to clean up after the Fukushima disaster. I am very sorry about your sister-in-law 💜💜 (edited) 3y
Texreader @GingerAntics @megabooks As I am now remembering it, the conversation about whether it was Chernobyl, it wasn‘t with my sister-in-law at all! I had asked my husband‘s mother who was not on the best of terms with her Finnish daughter-in-law. She completely blew it off. I don‘t think I ever thought to ask my dear sister-in-law directly. Perhaps when I see her again I‘ll have the opportunity to ask—but it is kind of awkward, you know? 3y
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Texreader @Megabooks I watched a very recent documentary about it and it is appalling how they threw men at it trying to clean it up. As bad was the coverup and delay in evacuating Pripyat! 3y
Megabooks Agreed. I read this book as well and it was so hard to read about all the chances they had to avert total disaster. 3y
GingerAntics True, that would be a little awkward, to say the least. 3y
61 likes6 comments
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Texreader
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Started this one on the road trip to visit a client for a few days. #readingeurope2020 #Ukraine

Librarybelle This is on my to read list! 3y
Texreader @Librarybelle He definitely explains nuclear power in elementary terms I understood, not retained, but understood! 3y
BarbaraBB You‘re on a roll with #readingeurope2020 💪🏽 3y
71 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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GinaKButler
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This is been on my TBR for a while now, but like most non-fictions, I needed a kick in the pants to start it...it‘s my book club‘s November pick, so here goes!

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rjsthumbelina
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Pickpick

Hard to get through in some places, especially when given details about acute radiation syndrome, but definitely worth reading. I didn't know very much about the disaster, or very much about radiation poisoning, so I learned A LOT while listening to this. A very thorough account of the disaster and what followed. Only complaint is that I wish he had gone more into what has happened to the nature surrounding the area.

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Pedrocamacho
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Pickpick

I‘ve been wanting to read this book since watching the HBO series last summer. (The hold queue at my library was absolutely massive and then pandemic, of course.) It is an engaging read and well worth the time. I especially liked the sections devoted to the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. I really enjoyed the HBO series as well. I definitely now have an idea of the liberties that they took (had to take?) with the story of Chernobyl.

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rabbitprincess
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Well-written manuals are not enough to guarantee safety, especially in the face of operational pressure to get the job done. And it‘s not enough to say “do this thing”; understanding WHY something needs to be done improves the odds of people actually doing it.

Going to have to get back to Sidney Dekker after this!

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rabbitprincess
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Can‘t decide what to start for the #CYOReadathon, so this ebook from the library is as good a place to start as any. I could also resume reading my public-domain ebooks. The Barclay is likely to be tomorrow, because I don‘t feel like getting off the couch 😂

Sace Getting up is overrated 🤣 3y
19 likes1 comment
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amyrohn
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Some fall colored books to ring in the new season 🍂🍁🍂

EadieB Love Shadow of the Wind! One of my favorite books! 4y
emz711 @EadieB yasssss shadow of the wind! 4y
EadieB @emz711 Enjoy! 4y
35 likes3 comments
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AlizaApp
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Pickpick

An in-depth investigation into what went wrong in Chernobyl: defective reactors, Soviet hubris, operator error, everything. Tense and riveting. Even though I knew what was coming, I somehow never realized how fucked up the whole situation was.

Traci1 Have you watched the miniseries on HBO? It was fantastic (in a horrific way). 4y
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Mama_Wolf2015
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A rainy day is a good day to read.

So is a sunny day, or hot day, or dry day...etc...🤷‍♀️🤣

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perfectsinner
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Mehso-so

I hate limited characters here. 🤬 I need more than 400.
Basically, super dense & technical. Read from 6/19-7/31
Unless you're super into Russian history or Chernobyl, you're better off watching a few documentaries about it, rather than tackling this book. 3.5 star

Yoricke_SouthAfrica Second review today that I read about this book that said the same. Perhaps written for a very specific audience. Pity. 4y
4 likes1 comment
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perfectsinner
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Back to this for a minute. I started this book in June and still am not done. It's so technically dense it's a hard read for me. I'm currently 267 pages in, on chapter 15. 5 more chapters left. I might be done by August or September 🤣

TrishB Yeah, it‘s a slog! 4y
perfectsinner It really is 😔 I wish I hadn't bought brand new, for sure. 4y
6 likes2 comments
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Godpants
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Pickpick

It‘s hard to read something like this, and not compare it to what is going on with COVID right now. Obviously, with this I have the power of foresight, and knew how bad the fallout from this was, but it was so frustrating to see how tentative the politicians were to warn the public.

hefau I should have known someone would see a thematic relation and grasp at soapbox straws. 4y
Godpants @hefau I hadn‘t quite got on my soapbox yet, but I sure can! I‘ve seen the quote “malevolence through incompetence” and I feel like it‘s very apt for what is going on. We don‘t know the fallout of this crisis yet, but it‘s already fucked the economy and we won‘t know the effect on public health for decades to come. So yes, I think thematically a parallel can be drawn. 4y
Echo I work in medical imaging and so I've always had a vested interest in this story, but I am so stressed out from the pandemic that I literally had to put the book down 😭 3y
Godpants @Echo It‘s such a stressful read, but definitely worth it when you feel up to it! 3y
13 likes4 comments
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Godpants
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I‘ve been on the waitlist for this one for MONTHS, so I guess I‘m going right into another heavy audiobook.

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perfectsinner
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Taking advantage of the cooler temps, hammock, fuck off I'm reading socks, and my book 🤓📖

Pageturner1 great socks 🧦 I would love to read in a hammock! 4y
perfectsinner Thanks. Unfortunately I don't get to use it enough 4y
Ast_Arslan OMG! I'm obsessed with socks and I love yours 😍 4y
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perfectsinner @Ast_Arslan thanks! My brother's gf got them for me. They couldn't be more perfect! 4y
Bklover I have a pencil case that matches your socks!💙 4y
perfectsinner @Bklover that's awesome! 4y
9 likes6 comments
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perfectsinner
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I've been looking forward to this one

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erinachu
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Book report and #weeklyforecast !
🎧 10% Happier - completed. My third book for #bookspinbonanza and my ninth book of the year! I met my goal! 🥳
📚 Midnight In Chernobyl - 7.3% completed. I'm back at work so audio books are much easier for me now.
🎧 Mrs. Everything - up next!

marleed I‘ve read all three in the last year and liked them all! 4y
14 likes1 comment
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Cortg
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Pickpick

This was really interesting! I didn‘t know a whole lot about Chernobyl other than it being a huge nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union. I learned a lot about the accident, what led up to it, how it was handled, some info on nuclear energy, and the people involved in the accident.