Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb

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The Atomic Women is a portrait of the World War II female scientists who worked in laboratories and secrets sites of the Manhattan Project, and whose contributions have been left unstudied. Recruited not only from labs and universities from across the country, but also from countries abroad, these women scientists helped, and often initiated the development of the atomic bomb, taking a starring role in the Manhattan Project; in fact, their involvement was critical to its success.

This book explores not just the critical steps towards the creation of a successful nuclear bomb, but also the moral implications of such an invention.

Centering The Atomic Women are the groundbreaking leading female scientists of the atomic era, who gave rise to the project: Lise Meitner and Irene Joliot-Curie (daughter of Marie Curie), who from Europe led the groundwork for the Manhattan Project, though they were not fully aware of the consequences. Elizabeth Rona, the foremost expert in plutonium, whose expertise gave rise to "The Fat Man" and "Little Boy," the bombs dropped over Japan. As well as Leona Marshall, Elizabeth Graves, and Joan Hinton, who looked upon the European scientific ideals for inspiration, but went ahead and carved their own path.

Reviews

A well-researched book on women scientists and their roles in developing the atomic bomb.--Booklist
An eye-opening historical reconstruction that respects the intellectual diversity of the women behind and within the Manhattan Project.--BCCB
Lively, well-researched, and comprehensible. A useful work of scientific history.--Kirkus
Montillo powerfully explains how the brilliant figures of Atomic Women overcame gender bias and pursued scientific passions.... [A]n impressive commemoration of extraordinary scientists.--Shelf Awareness
Montillo's detailed and organized writing stresses the importance of these women, who were as indispensable to the Manhattan Project as more well-known men.--School Library Journal
Montillo's woman-centered narrative fills a major gap in the popular understanding of how the atomic bomb came to be.--Publishers Weekly
Recommended for readers with an interest in the sciences, women's studies, and who support the ethic of giving women their due for their accomplishments.--School Library Connection

Author Bio

Roseanne Montillo is the author of three works of nonfiction, Fire on the Track, The Lady and her Monsters, and The Wilderness of Ruin. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, where she taught courses on the intersection of literature and history. She lives outside of Boston.