Overview

Uranium is a common element in the earth's crust and the only naturally occurring mineral with the power to end all life on the planet. After World War II, it reshaped the global order--whoever could master uranium could master the world. Marie Curie gave us hope that uranium would be a miracle panacea, but the Manhattan Project gave us reason to believe that civilization would end with apocalypse. Slave labor camps in Africa and Eastern Europe were built around mine shafts, and America would knowingly send more than 600 uranium miners to their graves in the name of national security. Fortunes have been made from this yellow dirt; massive energy grids have been run from it. Fear of it panicked the American people into supporting a questionable war with Iraq, and its specter threatens to create another conflict in Iran. Now, some are hoping it can help avoid a global warming catastrophe. In Uranium, Tom Zoellner takes readers around the globe in this intriguing look at the mineral that can sustain life or destroy it.

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Reviews

"[Listeners] will be engaged by this story of the most powerful source of energy the earth can yield.-- ""Library Journal"" ""[A] fine piece of journalism...[Zoellner] delves into the complex science, politics, and history of this radioactive mineral, which presents the best and worst of mankind...He superbly paints vivid pictures of uranium's impact."" -- ""Publishers Weekly (starred review)"" ""Alive with devious personalities, Zoellner's narrative ultimately exposes the frightening vulnerability of a world with too many sources of a dangerous substance and too little wisdom to control it. A riveting journey into perilous terrain."" -- ""Booklist"" ""Narrator Patrick Lawlor applies just the right tone of aplomb to this examination of science and politics...Lawlor's performance grows on the listener. His enthusiasm keeps the listener engaged...He also has a talent for accents that adds interesting nuances to his performance."" -- ""Audiofile"" ""Zoellner examines how uranium has helped shape our recent history and could determine our future. His lively prose carries the reader through physics and history lessons alike, never failing to remind us what's at stake when it comes to uranium...Zoellner vividly conveys both the potential benefits and the harm that uranium holds for human civilization."" -- ""Washington Post"""

Author Information

Tom Zoellner is the author of Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World, winner of the 2010 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award; The Heartless Stone: A Journey through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire; and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller An Ordinary Man. He has worked as a reporter for the Arizona Republic and San Francisco Chronicle. Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.

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