Atomic Accidents Audiobook By James Mahaffey cover art

Atomic Accidents

A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters; From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Atomic Accidents

By: James Mahaffey
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.15

Buy for $20.15

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

From the moment radiation was discovered in the late nineteenth century, nuclear science has had a rich history of innovative scientific exploration and discovery, coupled with mistakes, accidents, and downright disasters.

Mahaffey, a long-time advocate of continued nuclear research and nuclear energy, looks at each incident in turn and analyzes what happened and why, often discovering where scientists went wrong when analyzing past meltdowns.

Every incident has lead to new facets in understanding about the mighty atom—and Mahaffey puts forth what the future should be for this final frontier of science that still holds so much promise.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2014 James Mahaffey (P)2014 Blackstone Audio History History & Philosophy Science Inspiring Nuclear Engineering
Fascinating Historical Accounts • Accessible Technical Explanations • Authoritative Voice • Engaging Storytelling Style
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I've read the book a few times and it's a great collection of atomic accidents. However the narrator of this audiobook sounds like a monotone, bored out of his mind lovechild of Kirk and Spock who also can't pronounce scientific terminology correctly. For me it's completely unlistenable as it is.

Great book, terrible narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Any additional comments?

I found this book very educational. It examines in detail atomic accidents beyond the "big three" of 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukashima. It is a bit technical at times but well worth the knowledge you will gain.

Most Enlightning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is such a thorough history...I loved the information about Fukushima and the first radiation poisonings from natural sources. If you don't want all the details, this one is not for you!

Pleased

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
At first, the narration was very dry and like a grammar school instructional film from my youth, but the story was strong enough for me to keep going. By the second chapter, I could not stop listening! I have shared this book with more people than any other book, subject, daily joke, etc. I should get a kickback from Audible, if all that I shared with become members. Give it a go!

I love this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A lot of information crammed into this book, but not overwhelming either. Good narrator and well written.

Interesting read for the nuclear industry.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you are the type to enjoy educational youtube or stop on documentaries - this is for you. The author does a good job of discussing what could be a very dry topic with some interesting asides and examples, providing enough context that you can tell that he is both aware of the danger that exists with nuclear weapons and power, but also an optimist that the world can address the challenges, resulting in a safe, environmentally-friendly way to generating power.

Regarding what I learned - I had not realized how numerous the minor mishaps with both power generation, lab systems, and weapon systems were, and how despite the number of issues, relatively few have resulted in any loss of life, and in most cases that loss of life is because of an always-pushing defense industry during the cold war taking what it thought were necessary risks to protect the population.

Audiobook/Audible specifics: The narrator had a good tone and voice for the material, making this an easy title to listen to.

Great listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The summary of the book sets you up for the general topic. The absurdity of what we have done, rather, how we have done it, is a surprisingly fun listen.

I honestly think some general road trips to locations that have nuclear bombs somewhere nearby would be fun, at this point. knowing that some are just somewhere in a swamp or in the ocean is mind blowing.

Highly recommended.

Great way to put your job into perspective

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
high quality book. the research was complete and exhaustive. There is a lot more to nuclear accidents than I ever thought. I recommend it to anyone.

Great read and extremely informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Both the writing and narration are top-notch. Complex concepts explained simply and with humor.

Absolutely fascinating and entertaining.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really just a fascinating book. So much history that I had no knowledge of.

very interesting!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews