Unmaking the Bomb: Environmental Cleanup and the Politics of Impossibility

Unmaking the Bomb is a book that looks at the social politics of nuclear waste remediation. It investigates remediation efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a former weapons complex in Washington State, and explores the embodied uncertainties and structural impossibilities integral to the endeavor. It also explores the uneven social relations that make toxicity a normative condition.

Format: Hardback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: University of California Press

Unmaking the Bomb is a groundbreaking and essential exploration of the devastating consequences of nuclear waste remediation. This thought-provoking book, hailed as one of the Best Indie Books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews, delves into the intricate social politics surrounding the issue of a contaminated world. Author Shannon Cram employs a multi-faceted approach, blending history, ethnography, and memoir, to examine remediation efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a former weapons complex in Washington State. As the site of the majority of the nation's high-level nuclear waste and the largest environmental cleanup project, Hanford is entrusted with the responsibility of managing toxic materials that will persist for generations to come. Cram's profound analysis uncovers the inherent uncertainties and structural limitations inherent in this endeavor. Through a captivating narrative style, she alternates between the administrative frames of cleanup and the stories that transcend them, immersing readers in both the statistical world of cleanup metrics and models and the lived experiences of those affected by its effects. In this process, Unmaking the Bomb sheds light on the uneven social relations that perpetuate toxicity as a normative condition. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex challenges posed by nuclear waste remediation and the urgent need for sustainable solutions.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520395114