Based on the couple's series of eponymous Slate articles, journalists Sharon Weinberger and Nathan Hodge do for nukes what Sarah Vowell did for presidential assassinations, in this fascinating, kaleidoscopic portrait of nuclear weaponry-- from Tehran, Iran to Oak Ridge Tennessee.
From nuclear energy to weapons of mass destruction, it seems not a day goes by without hearing news about nuclear research and the issues of testing and deploying. Yet, for all of the discussion of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Ahmadjian's next move, are we fully aware of what's really at stake?
In A Nuclear Family Vacation husband-and-wife Sharon Weinberger and Nathan Hodge offer a unique perspective on the history of weaponry as well as the current state of affairs, explaining the difference between fission and fusion, which kind of nuclear power plants can be used as covers for nuclear weapons programs, and whether or not there is such a thing as a suitcase bomb. From the seemingly familiar landscapes of Nevada, New Mexico and California to far-out destinations like the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan, epicenter of Soviet-era blasts, and the Marshall Islands, which the U.S. turned into a nuclear playground, A Nuclear Family Vacation weaves together close-up narratives with world-changing events, and unearths unknown-and often quite entertaining-facts about atomic weaponry.
