Get 3 audiobooks free with a 30-Day Free Trial Sign Up Free

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster

Read by:
Jacques Roy
Read Read Own Own

Unabridged Audiobook

Listen Free Now
  • Listen free with a 30-day free trial
  • Choose 2 bonus VIP books
  • Enjoy 10,000 always free books
Ratings
Book
176
Narrator
32
Release Date
February 12, 2019
Duration
13 hours 57 minutes
Summary
One of AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2019!

A New York Times Best Book of the Year
A Time Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Winner

From journalist Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling “account that reads almost like the script for a movie” (The Wall Street Journal)—a powerful investigation into Chernobyl and how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the history’s worst nuclear disasters.

Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering one of the 20th century’s greatest disasters. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute.

Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a “riveting, deeply reported reconstruction” (Los Angeles Times) and a definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth.

“The most complete and compelling history yet” (The Christian Science Monitor), Higginbotham’s “superb, enthralling, and necessarily terrifying...extraordinary” (The New York Times) book is an indelible portrait of the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will—lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary.
Reviews
Profile Avatar Herb B. Aug 2020

Having worked around nuclear power plants in my Navy days, I had a pretty good understanding of what had happened that night. But this book brought in so many details about crass decisions, stupid actions, and unbelievable foolishness! Having lived within a 100' of a reactor on a submarine, I can say without thought that we would have handled this in a completely opposite manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about the wrong way to handle a disaster, and how our two very different forms of government behave.

Profile Avatar James A. May 2024

This book didn't slack on the scientific side, which I like. It wasn't so deep, though, that I lost interest. So much more to the story than I ever imagined. Great read!

Profile Avatar Meredith M. Sep 2023

It does drag on, but necessarily so, as the details make the results and the aftermath do much more understandable. Lesson in arrogance and maintaining appearances, as well as the consequences of living in an environment ruled by fear.

Profile Avatar Cody T. Jan 2022

solid read

Profile Avatar Mark R. Feb 2021

listened twice. great job

Profile Avatar Anonymous Jan 2021

A good 5 hour story crammed into 13+ hours. Narrator will put you to sleep.

Profile Avatar Elizabeth L. Jan 2021

A fascinating look into the eye of a terrible and perfect storm of human audacity. Midnight In Chernobyl recreates minute by minute the a tragedy decades in the making providing some of the most stunning insight and context. I was engrossed until the very end.

Profile Avatar James H. May 2020

Enjoyed this book a lot. I was about 39 yrs old when this occurred and have always wondered about the story of what actually happened and what the initial and long lasting results were. Higginbotham’s research into the individuals involved from plant workers and supervisors to government officials brought the story to life with how it impacted those involved. One takeaway for me was that the bureacracy in the USSR may not have been too much different from the USA today. As an engineer (but not nuclear) I appreciated his handling of what technical details were necessary to tell the story which I was able to understand but were laid out in a way that a non-technical background person would also grasp. Good follow-up also on residual effects on the land, population and those involved in the plant operation and subsequent liquidation (cleanup) operations. Excellent narration as well.

Profile Avatar Elizabeth G. Apr 2020

Great book! Super interesting! Not a light read tho more like a text book but it can hold your attention

Profile Avatar DrZaco Jan 2020

Detailed information and descriptions; a compelling exposition of deceit, Xian’s cover up as well as bravery and sacrifice. Reminiscent of the attempts to market thalidomide, and the campaigns to discredit scientific research about the damage caused by second hand smoke, CFL damage to the ozone layer and similar denial of climate change and its relationship to fossil fuels. In the USSR the currency was saving face for the party; in the other aforementioned it is money.

Profile Avatar Amber L. Jan 2020

I teach science and love reading about real life events and while some of the logistics of the Chernobyl reactors were extremely detailed with lots of chemical jargon and specific information that overwhelmed the senses, I found the book extremely enlightening. The possibilities of what could have been, how the government tried to detailed the truth from not only the world, but their own people suggest that although we have come a long way in intellect and trust, countries behave just like people when the truth is something you'd rather hide.

Profile Avatar Laura S. Dec 2019

Started out slow and very technical with how the reactors/plant was built. Had already watched the HBO serious and work in the radiation field so I persisted. The story finally got into the human aspect of what transpired and it was quite interesting. If you aren't technical and can stick with it until the story unfolds, it was worth the time to list to it. Crazy and sad to know this truly happened.

Profile Avatar Anonymous Jul 2019

Interesting book

Profile Avatar Anonymous Jun 2019

What a great companion to the HBO Series. I was able to understand the science, but was surprised by the strong human characters.

Profile Avatar Timothy C. May 2019

Excellent look into the beaurocracy that was - is? - the Russian empire

Profile Avatar Anonymous Mar 2019

Interesting book. Well worth listening too.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster

Author: Adam Higginbotham
Read by: Jacques Roy
Listen Free Now Get any book plus
2 bonus VIP books
1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$29.99
View Cart