Shockwave

Stephen Walker

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER It was a moment that stilled and forever changed the world.

A riveting, minute-by-minute account of the momentous event that changed our world forever

On a quiet Monday morning in August 1945, a five-ton bomb—dubbed Little Boy by its creators—was dropped from an American plane onto the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On that day, a firestorm of previously unimagined power was unleashed on a vibrant metropolis of 300,000 people, leaving one third of its population dead, its buildings and landmarks incinerated. It was the terrifying dawn of the Atomic Age, spawning decades of paranoia, mistrust, and a widespread and very real fear of the potential annihilation of the human race.
Author Stephen Walker brilliantly re-creates the three terrible weeks leading up to the wartime detonation of the atomic bomb—from the first successful test in the New Mexico desert to the cataclysm and its aftermath—presenting the story through the eyes of pilots, scientists, civilian victims, and world leaders who stood at the center of earth-shattering drama. It is a startling, moving, frightening, and remarkable portrait of an extraordinary event—a shockwave whose repercussions can be felt to this very day.

“Dramatic ... an important page-turner ... admirably evenhanded and smoothly written.” — Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A-)
“A meticulous, emotionally devastating portrait of both sides … [Walker] creates an arresting feeling of suspense.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Like John Hersey’s HIROSHIMA, SHOCKWAVE brings to life one of history’s most profound events. Don’t miss it.” — Arizona Republic
“Electrifying . . .The tension and concentration of Walker’s thriller-like prose elicits a visceral response.” — Chicago Tribune
“Gripping...takes us back to 1945, allowing readers to appreciate the spectacular scientific effort that created this tool of doom.” — Raleigh News & Observer
“Shockwave is a stunning book, among the most immediate and thrilling works of history I have ever read.” — Irish Times
“Uniquely readable, immediate, and human . . . an exceptionally taut and revealing chronicle.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Walker takes readers on a roller-coaster ride ... invite[s] comparison with John Hersey’s still-classic Hiroshima.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Superb. . . . Walker writes with a sense of urgency and high drama . . . engrossing [and] saddening.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Highly recommended … [Walker] lends a rapid pace and cinematic air to the narrative.” — Library Journal