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"Journalist Adam Higginbotham's definitive, years-in-the-making account of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster--and a powerful investigation into how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the twentieth century's greatest disasters. 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, 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 Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to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 will--lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary"--

"In the early morning of April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant became unstable, causing a huge explosion. But the disaster was only just beginning. Follow along with the true story of a doomed power plant that is still dangerous today. Then, review what you've learned with a recap timeline and a quick quiz to check how much doomed history you remember"--

Wormwood. Congress -- Road to Chernobyl -- Power plant -- Inferno. Friday night -- Explosion -- Fire -- Denial -- Atop the Volcano. High commission -- Exodus -- Taming the reactor -- Invisible Enemy. Deadly silence -- Exclusion zone -- China syndrome --Counting lives -- Reckoning. -- New day. Writers' block -- Nuclear revolt -- Independent atom -- Global shelter.

Dr. Alla Shapiro was a first physician-responder to the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine, on April 26, 1986. Information about the explosion was withheld from first responders, who were not given basic supplies, detailed instructions, or protective clothing. Amid an eerie and pervasive silence, Dr. Shapiro treated traumatized children as she tried to protect her family. No protocols were in place because no one had anticipated the consequences of a nuclear accident. From the outset of the disaster, the Soviet government worsened matters by spreading misinformation; and first responders, including Alla, were ordered to partake in the deception of the public. After years of persistent professional hostility and personal discrimination that she and her family experienced as Jewish citizens of the USSR, four generations of the Shapiro family fled the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. As émigrés, they were each allowed to take no more than 40 pounds of possessions and $90 in cash. Their escape route took them first to Vienna and then to Italy, where they were stranded as stateless persons for six months. Eventually the family received permission to enter the United States. Motivated by her Chernobyl experiences, Alla Shapiro ultimately became one of the world's leading experts in the development of medical countermeasures against radiation exposure. From 2003 to 2019, she worked for the FDA on disaster readiness and preparation. Dr. Shapiro issues stern warnings regarding the preparedness -- or lack thereof -- of America for the current Covid-19 pandemic. Doctor on Call exposes the horrifying truths of Chernobyl and alerts us to the deceptions that undermine our ability to respond to global disasters

Historical background on the Chernobyl disaster. The Chernobyl disaster / David R. Marples ; The development of the Soviet nuclear industry / David F. Duke ; Soviet secrecy in the face of calamity / Celestine Bohlen ; The Soviet myth of safety / Grigori Medvedev ; An economic catastrophe / Richard L. Hudson -- Controversies surrounding the Chernobyl disaster. Initial reports show the Soviet response to Chernobyl was successful / Richard Wilson ; Radiation exposure and negative health outcomes were underreported and underestimated / Glenn Alan Cheney ; Radiation exposure from the Chernobyl disaster was not as severe as expected / International Atomic Energy Agency ; Belarus absorbed the brunt of Chernobyl's radiation / Fred Weir ; Which country suffered the most from Chernobyl is unclear / Mary Mycio ; Russian and Belarusian officials continue to minimize the impact of Chernobyl / Yelena Starovoitova ; The Chernobyl disaster was the fatal blow to the USSR / Stephen Weeks ; Farming in the contaminated zones of Belarus / Steven Lee Myers ; Children harmed by the Chernobyl accident should be helped at home / Sarah Carey ; A comparison of the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island incidents / Richard D. Fitzgerald ; The Chernobyl disaster shows that nuclear energy is inherently unsafe / Harvey Wasserman ; Chernobyl tourism / Tom Parfitt -- Personal narratives. A control room worker talks about the accident and life afterwards / Vivienne Parry ; A liquidator's experience at Chernobyl / Sergei B., interviewed by Mark Resnicoff ; Women and children in Chernobyl / Svetlana Alexievich ; Poems by a Pripyat refugee / Lyubov Sirota, translated by Leonid Levin and Elisavietta Ritchie ; An Irish activist working with "Chernobyl orphans" / Adi Roche ; A Chernobyl tourist / Charles Hawley

"As the world moved on, find out what happened to those left behind in this memoir of tragedy and death, people and land, and what comes after disaster. April 26, 1986. The reactor core of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl began to melt, setting into motion the greatest nuclear disaster of the twentieth century. While Europe slept, a cloud laden with radiation traveled thousands of miles in every direction, contaminating five million people who were unaware of its danger and unable to protect themselves. At the time, Emmanuel Lepage was 19 years old, watching and listening to the news reported on television. 22 years later, in April 2008, a group of nuclear energy-adverse activists and artists visit Chernobyl to document the lives of survivors and their children living on the highly contaminated land. Sent to sketch brutal landscapes of disaster and the folly of man, Lepage is surprised at the unexpected beauty he encounters. Often wondering to himself: What am I doing here?"--Provided by publisher

Intro -- The Chernobyl nuclear disaster -- Key information -- Background -- The USSR and its programme of nuclear development -- The Chernobyl nuclear facility -- The makings of a disaster -- Key figures -- Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian statesman -- Chernobyl nuclear facility personnel -- The Chernobyl nuclear disaster -- Reactor no. 4 -- A series of unfortunate events -- Liquidation -- Evacuation -- Contaminating the continent -- Silence from the authorities -- Who is to blame? -- Impact -- A political system shaken to its core -- Unknown medical consequences -- Disputes about the death toll -- Economic ruin -- RBMK: The immortal reactor -- Reflections on nuclear power -- Summary -- Find out more.