The Age of Radiance

“A book that moves at a thrilling pace through the while history of the atomic age… this ambitious book does achieve is goal, presenting a grand and very readable overview of the nuclear era.”– “Wall Street Journal”“A comprehensive and fascinating look at the invention of atomic energy…The pleasure of reading this book comes from the many, many insights and facts that are brought to light through Nelson’s smart voice.”– “Flavorwire”“A highly readable history of humanity’s embrace of nuclear energy and radiation.”– “Atlanta Journal-Constitution”“Nelson is especially good with a ‘you are there’ approach in describing Curie’s work and her late-night visits to the backyard lab with husband Pierre to look at the glow from her experiments stored in jars.”– “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”“Nelson’s vivid reconstructions…shine. They make this book fun to read and sometimes hard to put down.‘”– “On the Seawall”“Rich with powerful images … fraught with drama … and moments of great pathos … a thrilling, intense, and disturbing account of the scientific and sociopolitical history of the atomic era.”– “Christian Science Monitor”“This is the kind of book that doesn’t just inform you but leaves you feeling smarter.”– “Dallas Morning News”“A fascinating, information-rich new work… Filled with drama, vivid anecdotes, and breathtaking scientific breakthroughs, this book is an engrossing, comprehensive history of the atomic age.”– “Philadelphia Inquirer”“A page-turning history… Historian Craig Nelson tells the tale with exceptional panache… an example of top-notch storytelling… Nelson’s version is one of the best, an ideal balance of detail, character, conflict and information.”– “Salon”“A sweeping panorama of the nuclear age, paying particular attention to the colorful scientists whose brilliance and diligence unlocked the secrets of the atom…. Nelson tells their stories vividly, with a journalist’s eye for symmetry and irony.”– “Booklist”“An engaging history that raises provocative questions about the future of nuclear science.”– “Kirkus (starred review)”“Nelson writes a wonderfully detailed, anecdote-filled account of atomic energy…. Other authors have covered the myriad ways this invisible power impacts our lives, but Nelson brilliantly weaves a plethora of material into one noteworthy volume.”– “Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)”“Wow! Craig Nelson’s The Age of Radiance is like the best of John McPhee mixed with the page-turning glory of a science-fiction thriller. A magnificent storyteller, Nelson takes even the most atomized of details and spins a dazzling history of the Atomic Age. This book gives you x-ray glasses: After reading it you literally can’t walk down the street without seeing everything in our world anew.”–Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm’s Way“As he did with the space program in Rocket Men, in The Age of Radiance Craig Nelson has brought an era and an ethos to life. At the same time, he’s performed an even more difficult task: he’s made both the scientific and political complexities of the atomic era comprehensible and transparent.”–Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call

Craig Nelson is the author of Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness and the New York Times bestseller, Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon, as well as several previous books, including The Age of Radiance (a PEN Award Finalist chosen as one of the year’s best books by NBC News, the American Institute of Physics, Kirkus Reviews, and FlavorWire), The First Heroes, Thomas Paine (winner of the Henry Adams Prize), and Let’s Get Lost (shortlisted for W.H. Smith’s Book of the Year). His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, National Geographic, The New England Review, Popular Science, Reader’s Digest, and a host of other publications.