“Bomb” is a literary non-fiction book by Steve Sheinkin about the development of atomic bombs during WWII. It covers multiple perspectives, from physicists working on the secret “Manhattan Project”, to Soviet spies gathering intelligence using tradecraft. Quotes from real figures can be seen throughout the book, effectively explaining why certain decisions were made, and how people were impacted by factors such as politics and the atomic bomb. The factual and storytelling aspect of this book weave together beautifully, making it both interesting and educational to read.

 

This book was an enjoyable read, with central ideas and themes such as the ones I’ve discovered below while reading.

Politics played a large role in the war and had heavy impacts on people’s decisions. It was a very important factor throughout the book.

This was the first and reoccurring theme in the book. Soviet spies in WWII gathered lots of information on the construction of the atomic bomb, they were the main reason the Soviet Union even had such a destructive force. This resulted in a cause and effect where the FBI was often suspicious of people just because they were communists, showing the theme certain connections and associations can lead to mistrust from others.

The idea of trust is also evident throughout the book, spies within important operations, honesty in relationships, even faith in a leader’s loyalty let readers know the author believes that trust and honesty are essential to having good relations. This theme has been vital to pivotal decisions in history, often changing character perceptions of one another.

The main topic of this book is the atomic bomb, it can be seen impacting various important decisions and people as it is the source of “victory” in WWII. I also found how the atomic bomb can bring both negative and positive effects to certain individuals, such as Oppenheimer, known as the “father of the atomic bomb. it was interesting to see the author bring up questions of morality- if a weapon of mass destruction and arms race really is the right thing to do. This all comes to the conclusion that the atomic bomb affected people in various ways.

Thanks for looking through my post, I hope you find time to check out this amazing book.