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On a quiet Monday morning in August 1945, a five-ton bomb - dubbed ''Little Boy'' by its creators - was dropped onto the Japanese city of Hiroshima. A firestorm was unleashed on the vibrant metropolis of 300,000 people, leaving one third of its population dead and its buildings and landmarks incinerated. This attack ended World War II in the Pacific, but also launched the Atomic Age, spawning decades of paranoia, mistrust, and the very real fear of global annihilation. In this riveting New York Times bestseller, writer and filmmaker Stephen Walker brilliantly re-creates the three weeks leading up to Hiroshima. From the first successful test in the New Mexico desert to the cataclysm and its aftermath, Walker presents the story as seen through the eyes of pilots, scientists, politicians and civilian victims. It is a remarkable portrait of what may be the single most important event of the 20th Century - a shockwave whose repercussions can be felt to this very day. Stephen Walker read history at Oxford and holds a graduate degree from Harvard in the history of science. He currently makes films for the BBC and writes feature articles for the Sunday Times. ''Electrifying ... The tension and concentration of Walker''s thriller-like prose elicits a visceral response, but he also raises complicated and urgent questions about our continued harboring and development of nuclear weapons.'' - Chicago Tribune
About the author
Stephen Walker was born in London. He has a BA in History from Oxford and an MA in the History of Science from Harvard. His previous book was Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima, a New York Times bestseller. As well as being a writer he is also an award-winning documentary director. His films have won an Emmy, a BAFTA and the Rose d’Or, Europe’s most prestigious documentary award.
