Denise Kiernan

Kiernan explores the role women played in World War II’s Manhattan Project Oak Ridge, Tennessee location. The plant and the town of Oak Ridge sprang up nearly overnight as the project went into high gear. Women were involved in every aspect of its operations, including secretarial work, human resources, statistics, chemical analysis, equipment monitoring, janitorial work, nursing, and journalism. There is some selection bias since the women profiled were still living at the time Kiernan began work on this book. Many of the women still live in Oak Ridge or its vicinity, but some of the women had moved on to other locations.

Since I’m a Knoxville native, this is local history for me. Oak Ridge has not been a secret in my lifetime. I’ve always been able to go there, either with my family or on school field trips to the children’s museum or the Museum of Science and Energy. I’ve always been curious about its secret history, and this book didn’t disappoint!

One minor quibble. Kiernan includes the story of Ebb Cade, an African American construction worker who was subjected to medical experimentation without his consent. Cade wasn’t one of the “girls” of Atomic City, nor were the doctors who experimented on him, so he doesn’t belong in this book. He deserves his own book, but it seems that it hasn’t yet been written.… (mehr)

Good overall, but I was left feeling there could have been more. Maybe that's a sign of good writing ("I like this so much, I wish there was more"), or of poor writing ("I feel like we've got gaps and are missing some details."). Take your pick. But nonetheless, the topic of the Manhattan Project and of Oak Ridge's role in it is fascinating, and focusing on the women in the city provides a satisfying perspective.

[Audiobook note: the reader, Cassandra Campbell, does a very good job. Four stars for her.]… (mehr)