The Girls of Atomic City : The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

AT THE HEIGHT OF WORLD WAR II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians--many of them young women from small towns across the South--were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. That is, until the end of the war--when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed. Drawing on the voices of the women who lived it--women who are now in their eighties and nineties-- The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of American history from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage. Combining the grand-scale human drama of The Worst Hard Time with the intimate biography and often troubling science of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , The Girls of Atomic City is a lasting and important addition to our country's history. As heard on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition. One of Goodreads' Most Popular Books of March 2013. One of Amazon's Editors' Picks for Best Books of the Month (History) One of Amazon's Editors' Picks for Best Books of the Month (Nonfiction) One of Amazon's Big Spring Books (History) In This Book The Author Traces The Story Of The Unsung World War Ii Workers In Oak Ridge, Tennessee Through Interviews With Dozens Of Surviving Women And Other Oak Ridge Residents. This Is The Story Of The Young Women Of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Who Unwittingly Played A Crucial Role In One Of The Most Significant Moments In U.s. History. The Tennessee Town Of Oak Ridge Was Created From Scratch In 1942. One Of The Manhattan Project's Secret Cities, It Did Not Appear On Any Maps Until 1949, And Yet At The Height Of World War Ii It Was Using More Electricity Than New York City And Was Home To More Than 75,000 People, Many Of Them Young Women Recruited From Small Towns Across The South. Their Jobs Were Shrouded In Mystery, But They Were Buoyed By A Sense Of Shared Purpose, Close Friendships, And A Surplus Of Handsome Scientists And Army Men. But Against This Wartime Backdrop, A Darker Story Was Unfolding. The Penalty For Talking About Their Work, Even The Most Innocuous Details, Was Job Loss And Eviction. One Woman Was Recruited To Spy On Her Coworkers. They All Knew Something Big Was Happening At Oak Ridge, But Few Could Piece Together The True Nature Of Their Work Until The Bomb Little Boy Was Dropped Over Hiroshima, Japan, And The Secret Was Out. The Shocking Revelation: The Residents Of Oak Ridge Were Enriching Uranium For The Atomic Bomb. Though The Young Women Originally Believed They Would Leave Oak Ridge After The War, Many Met Husbands There, Made Lifelong Friends, And Still Call The Seventy-year-old Town Home. The Reverberations From Their Work There, Work They Did Not Fully Understand At The Time, Are Still Being Felt Today. Revelation, August 1945 -- Everything Will Be Taken Care Of : Train To Nowhere, August 1943. Tubealloy : The Bohemian Grove To The Appalachian Hills, September 1942 -- Peaches And Pearls : The Taking Of Site X, Fall 1942. Tubealloy : Ida And The Atom, 1934 -- Through The Gates : Clinton Engineer Works, Fall 1943. Tubealloy : Lise And Fission, 1938 -- Bull Pens And Creeps : The Project's Welcome For New Employees. Tubealloy : Leona And Success In Chicago, December 1942 -- Only Temporary : Spring Into Summer, 1944. Tubealloy : The Quest For Product -- To Work. Tubealloy : The Couriers -- Rhythms Of Life. Tubealloy : Security, Censorship, And The Press -- The One About Fireflies. Tubealloy : Pumpkins, Spies, And Chicken Soup, Fall 1944 -- The Unspoken : Sweethearts And Secrets. Tubealloy : Combining Efforts In The New Year -- Curiosity And Silence. Tubealloy : The Project's Crucial Spring -- Innocence Lost. Tubealloy : Hope And The Haberdasher, April-may 1945 -- Sand Jumps In The Desert, July 1945 -- The Gadget Revealed -- Dawn Of A Thousand Suns -- Life In The New Age. Denise Kiernan. A Touchstone Book Includes Bibliographical References (p. 317-347) And Index. The New York Times bestseller, now available in paperback—an incredible true story of the top-secret World War II town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the young women brought there unknowingly to help build the atomic bomb. "The best kind of nonfiction: marvelously reported, fluidly written, and a remarkable story...As meticulous and brilliant as it is compulsively readable." —Karen Abbott, author of Sin in the Second City At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, and consumed more electricity than New York City, yet it was shrouded in such secrecy that it did not appear on any map. Thousands of civilians, many of them young women from small towns across the U.S., were recruited to this secret city, enticed by the promise of solid wages and war-ending work. What were they actually doing there? Very few knew. The purpose of this mysterious government project was kept a secret from the outside world and from the majority of the residents themselves. Some wondered why, despite the constant work and round-the-clock activity in this makeshift town, did no tangible product of any kind ever seem to leave its guarded gates? The women who kept this town running would find out at the end of the war, when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed and changed the world forever. Drawing from the voices and experiences of the women who lived and worked in Oak Ridge, The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of World War II from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage. "A phenomenal story," and Publishers Weekly called it an "intimate and revealing glimpse into one of the most important scientific developments in history." "Kiernan has amassed a deep reservoir of intimate details of what life was like for women living in the secret city...Rosie, it turns out, did much more than drive rivets." —The Washington Post The New York Times bestseller, now available in paperback?an incredible true story of the top-secret World War II town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the young women brought there unknowingly to help build the atomic bomb. "The best kind of nonfiction: marvelously reported, fluidly written, and a remarkable story ... As meticulous and brilliant as it is compulsively readable."?Karen Abbott, author of Sin in the Second City At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, and consumed more electricity than New York City, yet it was shrouded in such secrecy that it did not appear on any map. Thousands of civilians, many of them young women from small towns across the U.S., were recruited to this secret city, enticed by the promise of solid wages and war-ending work. What were they actually doing there? Very few knew. The purpose of this mysterious government project was kept a secret from the outside world and from the majority of the residents themselves. Some wondered why, despite the constant work and round-the-clock activity in this makeshift town, did no tangible product of any kind ever seem to leave its guarded gates? The women who kept this town running would find out at the end of the war, when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed and changed the world forever. Drawing from the voices and experiences of the women who lived and worked in Oak Ridge, The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of World War II from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage. "A phenomenal story," and Publishers Weekly called it an "intimate and revealing glimpse into one of the most important scientific developments in history." "Kiernan has amassed a deep reservoir of intimate details of what life was like for women living in the secret city ... Rosie, it turns out, did much more than drive rivets."?The Washington Post The incredible story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history. The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Projects secret cities, it didnt appear on any maps until 1949, and yet at the height of World War II it was using more electricity than New York City and was home to more than 75,000 people, many of them young women recruited from small towns across the South. Their jobs were shrouded in mystery, but they were buoyed by a sense of shared purpose, close friendshipsand a surplus of handsome scientists and Army men! But against this vibrant wartime backdrop, a darker story was unfolding. The penalty for talking about their workeven the most innocuous detailswas job loss and eviction. One woman was recruited to spy on her coworkers. They all knew something big was happening at Oak Ridge, but few could piece together the true nature of their work until the bomb "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, and the secret was out. The shocking revelation: the residents of Oak Ridge were enriching uranium for the atomic bomb. Though the young women originally believed they would leave Oak Ridge after the war, many met husbands there, made lifelong friends, and still call the seventy-year-old town home. The reverberations from their work therework they didnt fully understand at the timeare still being felt today. In The Girls of Atomic City , Denise Kiernan traces the astonishing story of these unsung WWII workers through interviews with dozens of surviving women and other Oak Ridge residents. Like (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208.The_Immortal_Life_of_Henrietta_Lacks) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , this is history and science made fresh and vibranta beautifully told, deeply researched story that unfolds in a suspenseful and exciting way.