man_and_atom | Book Review : “Atomic Energy” by R.M.E. Diamant

Review posted on the book-selling site Alibris, where I gave the book a score of 4/5. (I make no recommendation of any book marketplace over any other — this one gives me Amtrak points, so I tend to shop there.)

I bought this book on the basis of a bad review, and I was not disappointed.

What do I mean by that? Well, there is a certain type of book whose author is knowledgeable in his field, and passionate about his subject, but not a terribly good writer ; he puts in facts which impress him, without carefully considering why they do, or how he can lead the reader to that point. This sort of book contains a great deal of useful information, with a smattering of sound argument, but is deficient in good organization and overall coherency. So it is with Atomic Energy by Diamant.

The author’s special expertise is in district heating systems (largely unfamiliar to Americans outside the central districts of a few major cities), and the use of nuclear energy to feed them. His perspective is thus more that of the user of energy than that of the nuclear scientist. On the one hand, this is a very good thing, in that this brings him closer to the viewpoint of the common man, who needs to understand about nuclear energy. On the other, it does mean that he sometimes garbles facts, or even omits them entirely — perhaps most noticeably, the possibility of thermal breeding on the thorium cycle.

All in all, this book does not make a good introduction to atomic energy for the layman, but may prove of considerable interest and assistance to one who has already been introduced to the subject, and seeks a broader understanding.