The incredible story of a powerful and misunderstood energy source on which society turned its back

From the pilot's seat in the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, to Chernobyl's exclusion zone and to the site in Finland where highly radioactive waste will be buried, this is the incredible story of nuclear power.

Providing a vivid account of the characters and events that have shaped the world's most controversial energy source and our thinking around it, The Power of Nuclear weaves politics, culture and technology to explore nuclear power's past and future.

In his quest to disentangle myth from facts, Marco Visscher asks: How dangerous is radiation? What should you do after a nuclear accident? Have nuclear weapons really made the world less safe? And why do some still reject the evidence showing the atom can provide unlimited clean energy, free countries of their dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change?

This is an informed look at what we might do with nuclear power - and what nuclear power is doing to us.

"Lively and informative" - Joshua Goldstein, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at American University, and co-author of A Bright Future

"Reads like a thriller but informs like a textbook... essential reading for anyone with questions about nuclear" - Mark Lynas, author of Our Final Warning

"A truly original take on a topic that has been debated for so long by so many. Whether you’re skeptical or agnostic about [nuclear energy], you will find plenty in this extraordinary book that will surprise you, and make you think." - Rauli Partanen, energy analyst and award-winning co-author of The Age of Energy

"A lively and even-handed book about the history and future of nuclear power. Original and gripping." - Lucy Jane Santos, author of Half Lives