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The cover of Plutopia Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters

Plutopia Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters

Kate Brown

Why do people in the Cold War plutonium towns of Richland and Ozersk remember safe, happy lives while their plants polluted the land around them?

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At a glance

Author
Kate Brown

Why read it

  • You will learn to ask what a comfortable life is costing someone else when the same system provides your security
  • You will see how constant watching and secrecy can sit beside a warm feeling of safety
  • You will understand that rival countries can mirror each other in fear and in how they treat risk

Who it is for

  • Someone living near a plant or lab that dominates the local economy
  • A reader who wants the human side of Cold War weapons
  • An engineer or manager asked to weigh output against safety

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Part One: INCARCERATED SPACE ON THE WESTERN NUCLEAR FRONTIER
  3. 1. Mr. Matthias Goes to Washington
  4. 2. Labor on the Lam
  5. 3. “Labor Shortage”
  6. 4. Defending the Nation
  7. 5. The City Plutonium Built
  8. 6. Work and the Women Left Holding Plutonium
  9. 7. Hazards
  10. 8. The Food Chain
  11. 9. Of Flies, Mice, and Men
  12. Part Two: THE SOVIET WORKING-CLASS ATOM AND THE AMERICAN RESPONSE
  13. 10. The Arrest of a Journal
  14. 11. The Gulag and the Bomb
  15. 12. The Bronze Age Atom
  16. 13. Keeping Secrets
  17. 14. Beria’s Visit
  18. 15. Reporting for Duty
  19. 16. Empire of Calamity
  20. 17. “A Few Good Men” in Pursuit of America’s Permanent War Economy
  21. 18. Stalin’s Rocket Engine: Rewarding the Plutonium People
  22. 19. Big Brother in the American Heartland
  23. 20. Neighbors
  24. 21. The Vodka Society
  25. Part Three: THE PLUTONIUM DISASTERS
  26. 22. Managing a Risk Society
  27. 23. The Walking Wounded
  28. 24. Two Autopsies
  29. 25. Wahluke Slope: Into Harm’s Way
  30. 26. Quiet Flows the Techa
  31. 27. Resettlement
  32. 28. The Zone of Immunity
  33. 29. The Socialist Consumers’ Republic
  34. 30. The Uses of an Open Society
  35. 31. The Kyshtym Belch, 1957
  36. 32. Karabolka, Beyond the Zone
  37. 33. Private Parts
  38. 34. “From Crabs to Caviar, We Had Everything”
  39. Part Four: DISMANTLING THE PLUTONIUM CURTAIN
  40. 35. Plutonium into Portfolio Shares
  41. 36. Chernobyl Redux
  42. 37. 1984
  43. 38. The Forsaken
  44. 39. Sick People
  45. 40. Cassandra in Coveralls
  46. 41. Nuclear Glasnost
  47. 42. All the King’s Men
  48. 43. Futures
  49. Archives and Abbreviations
  50. A
  51. B
  52. C
  53. D
  54. E
  55. F
  56. G
  57. H
  58. I
  59. J
  60. K

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