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Feb 16, 2019DorisWaggoner rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A well written novel about Oak Ridge, TN, where the uranium was enriched that went into the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, ending WW II. Some reviews assume that people today know little about Oak Ridge; perhaps because Hanford, the third major leg of this project (after Los Alamos), is in Seattle's back yard, I grew up with that history. Still, an interesting look at 4 points of view of those working there. June's a local girl who needs the job, not explained to those working on the dials and knobs. Ceci's her roommate, whose only goal is to find a rich husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Joe's an African American who leaves his beloved family behind in Alabama because they need the money. Sam's the most complex character, having lost most of his family to Hitler's concentration camps, escaping in time to become a physicist who knows exactly what Oak Ridge is working on. He's conflicted about his job. These characters' lives become intertwined in interesting ways. Beard, whose grandfather lost his home to the project, didn't know Oak Ridge's meaning until she grew up, then decided to write the novel.