If ever there was a crisis that defines an age, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is it. Not only does it include technological complexities and science, but the way it rolled out is an indictment of the Soviet system and Gorbachev's inability to change it without destroying it. There are also vivid personal histories of ruined lives amidst heroism, cowardice, and defiant stupidity. Higginbotham's book is a riveting reading experience and is indispensable to understanding the modern industrial age.