Nuclear Books and Films
Click on the images for their link.
Being Nuclear: Africans and the Global Uranium Trade When we first moved to Japan, I was reading a lot of news regarding the French war in Mali. France’s deep ties to Mali are due to its ownership of uranium mines there. Of course the resource war has extended into Niger as well. This is a fascinating read for those who want a good background in regards to the politics and violence behind the uranium trade.
Radiance of France I read this book in France while making the film Scars On The Landscape. The book is interesting for those who like French history or want to understand how nuclear energy plays a very important part in typical French politics. Reading this book in conjunction with the above book will give more insight into current international conflicts surrounding uranium.
The Rise of Nuclear Fear I reviewed this book on this blog back in November, 2012 but I continue to reference it a lot in my research. Despite some issues I have with what the author intentionally leaves out, read the book for the interesting references to pop-culture and be aware of Mr. Weart’s agenda.
Uranium, War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped The World This continues to be a favorite book of mine. I purchased it as an mp3 so I could listening to it while driving through New Mexico. Fascinating, well researched and entertaining.
Yellow Dirt I am almost finished with this book. I am not a huge fan of the narrator for the audio book and it is dramatically slower than the book Uranium (above) but the information regarding Native American history and uranium mining is really interesting.
Strong In The Rain, Surviving Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster I read this book the first month I got to Japan. It consists of personal stories, that make it more entertaining, and leads into some visions for the future. Read it to connect to the personal, emotional aspects of the disaster and not scientific or factual information. I found myself tearing up particularly in the sections regarding assistance that the U.S. Navy provided after the tsunami. While I was living in Japan, I consistently found Japanese people to be incredibly respectful and gracious. They did a lot to thank volunteers and this book touches on that.
Atomic States of America Worth watching for some potentially true theories and to support the reason why many individuals are very concerned with the health effects of nuclear energy. Like many of these documentaries, I found the film to be problematic in the way it plays into emotion and sidesteps scientific facts.
Countdown To Zero For those interested in nuclear weapons
Trinity and Beyond For history geeks and those who like ridiculously cheesy nuclear propaganda.
Atomic Accidents I recently purchased this as an audio book for the drive to the Nevada Test site. I have not read it yet though.
Yellowcake Towns: Uranium Mining Communities in the American West another historical book for those interested in learning more about uranium and mining.
Full Body Burden I haven’t read this book yet but it is on my list before going to Denver, CO in July. The many reported radiation leaks and problems in the Rocky Mountain Flats site has made it a major site of remediation. Interestingly enough, a huge area has been designated as a “Wildlife Preserve.” Some theories point towards that designation as a way for officials to get out of completing a full remediation on the damaged landscape.
Dark Circle Documentary on the link between the reemergence of nuclear power and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Radioactivists This is a documentary I saw in Berlin by two Germans who filmed all the protests happening in Japan regarding nuclear energy. News reports after Fukushima continually reported that despite the disaster, the Japanese still agreed with nuclear energy and that there was no uprising from citizens. One of the protests that happened while I was in Japan consisted of over 70,000 protestors. News is false. LINK HERE
Savage Dreams Nuclear tests and history of the American West.
Uranium Is It A Country? This is a documentary about Uranium mining in Australia. I really enjoyed the film. It exposes some politics happening in Australia, a country that exports tons of uranium to other countries but does not use nuclear energy itself. Watch the entire documentary online HERE
That’s it for now, I’ll update with more in the future.