HISTORY

Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga Story Elizabeth Tynan New South, $34.99

Last month marked 60 years since Britain began exploding nuclear bombs in the South Australian desert. The series of tests had a devastating effect on the land, indigenous residents and servicemen in the area, and the fallout continues today. Tynan’s account is thorough and unsparing of the supine collaborators in the disaster — the Australian government and a servile media, although she praises the journalists who eventually revealed the story. Tynan outlines the full picture, from the science which made nuclear bombs possible and the politics of their development, to the public ignorance of and indifference to such events. As we contemplate our nuclear future, it is timely to examine our first brush with atomic power. Verdict: fascinating