Nuclear Weapons: What You Need to
Know by Jeremy Bernstein
Highly Recommended
Nuclear Weapons is a history of nuclear weapons. From their initial
theoretical development at the start of the twentieth century to the recent
tests in North Korea, the author seeks to, at each point in the narrative,
describe the basic science of nuclear weaponry. At the same time, he
offers accounts and anecdotes of the personalities involved, many of
whom he has known firsthand. Dr. Bernstein writes in response to what he
sees as a widespread misunderstanding throughout the media of the basic
workings and potential impact of nuclear weaponry.
Personal Review: Nuclear Weapons: What You Need to Know by
Jeremy Bernstein
NUCLEAR WEAPONS: What You Need To Know, is a very well written
account of the people and the physics that went into creating the world's
weapons of mass destruction. Any one teaching about this topic will surely

wish to consider this as a textbook or reference. The book makes a nice
complement to the video THE DAY AFTER TRINITY in which one "meets"
many of the characters in Bernstein's book. The Day After Trinity
A 2007 book, it makes reference to many contemporary problems, Iran,
Iraq, a terrorist bomb, DPRK, and proliferation. It includes suggestions for
further reading should one find something missing, or wish to pursue the
topic in more depth.
The one element I found missing in detail, since this is "What You Need To
Know," is what happens to people when such a device explodes overhead
or otherwise nearby. Bernstein does state numbers for deaths in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. He gives, 90,000 and 74,000. I believe Carey Sublette
provides similar numbers. The question becomes, "In what year do you
stop counting?" For many decades now the "official" figure that comes
from reliable sources in Hiroshima is that by Dec. 31, 1945, the death toll
was 140,000, with 10% possible error. Sadako Sasaki died 10 years later
as did many others between 1945 and 1955. In general, not criticizing
Bernstein or Sublette, when an enemy of ours kills, we use death figures
from the victims; when WE kill we use OUR figures. When the 90,000
figure is used for nuclear deaths, I wonder if someone is trying to make it
seem no worse than the Tokyo air raids. The United States government
has never published a full and detailed account of what happened to the
people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and still remains with the few survivors
to this day, some 63 years after.
I would add to the Further Reading Suggestions, Naomi Shohno's THE
LEGACY OF HIROSHIMA, Legacy of Hiroshima: Its Past, Our Future,
James C. Warf's ALL THINGS NUCLEAR, All Things Nuclear, and DAYS
TO REMEMBER from the Hiroshima Nagasaki Publishing Committee,
Days to Remember: An Account of the Bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS: What You Need To Know, is an excellent book. It
has my highest recommendation. Give it 10 STARS!
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