Michael Harris (10) (1933–)

The Atomic Times: My H-Bomb Year at the Pacific Proving Ground by Michael Harris is, to put it mildly, a VERY interesting read. Any student of Cold War history will be captivated by this story of the men who, without knowing it, put their lives in grave danger during the United States nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific.

Having read much about the various tests conducted during the fifties, I was always curious about what had happened to the various soldiers, sailors and airmen who were ‘up close and personal’ on the remote islands near the various test sites. Thanks to Harris, we now have part of the answer.

Michael Harris tells us of his time on Eniwetok Island where we are introduced to his mates, their day to day lives, and how they each dealt with the isolation (without women), the personality conflicts, and of course, the constant worry about radiation.

The book is at times, funny, sad, and always deeply disturbing, as it shows just how little knowledge there was at the time considering the effects of radiation on humans. A prime example always comes to mind; although the ex-German Navy heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen had been blasted by atomic bombs as part of the first post-war anti-ship testing, when the locals had requested permission to salvage the ship’s propellers, they were refused. Authorities were concerned that that radium used in the ship’s instruments might pose an environmental hazard to aquatic life.

The Atomic Times is a fascinating read for anyone, and will prove to be a surprising—perhaps even shocking read for younger people today who have no idea of what took place not that long ago, or very far away.

www.daniellittle.com… (mais)

The Atomic Times:
My H-Bomb Year at the Pacific Proving Ground
Author: Michael Harris
Publisher: Word One International
Date: 2005
Pgs: 288

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
Welcome to the Pacific Proving Grounds where three-eyed fish swim in the clear lagoon. The same lagoon that the local commanders advise men to swim in as a way to relax. Men show up with toenails that glow in the dark. The author was onsite for Operation Redwing. He witnessed 17 hydrogen bomb tests firsthand, no goggles, no radiation suits. The Army called them observers even though most of them pushed papers, swept floors, tended bar, etc. What they were actually there for was as human guinea pigs to prove that humans could survive close to Ground Zero.

Catch-22 with radiation.
Area 51 meets Dr Strangelove.
Except this one’s a true story.

Genre:
Autobiography and memoir
Biography
Controversy
History
Military
Non-fiction

Why this book:
It came to me through a free book program. I started reading it because of that. I was sucked into the firsthand account of what happened to the soldiers at the Pacific Proving Grounds during those atomic tests in the early 50s.
______________________________________________________________________________

Favorite Character:
Michael Harris plays as a great character in this story.

Least Favorite Character:
Major Maxwell who spends the length of the novel spewing platitudes in the face of atomic bomb blasts, radioactive fallout, and the growing psychosis of the soldiers who lived through it.

The Feel:
The story gives us a don’t trust the government feel. And a sense of horror at what was done to those soldiers, sailors, and airmen in the Pacific Proving Ground.

Pacing:
Great pace.

Hmm Moments:
The story of his walking off the plane on his arrival at Eniwetok.

The descriptions of his bunkmates makes you wonder if the Army was dumping future serial killers and inmates there so that they were out of sight. Chester, the Korean War veteran who carried the skull of a North Korean soldier around as a war prize. Mumbles who talked to himself continuously. When the author describes what he overheard him saying, I thought of how Lovecraft described those who had witnessed the visages of one of the Elder Gods of the Cthulhian mythos. The quote is worth repeating for the creppy factor. “The stars in the mirror are a shattered answer to anything made out of blood.”

The actions of the rapist doctor on Eniwetok and the blackballing of his victim because he stood up to him is a harsh look at how predators in positions of power did things back in that mid-1950s time frame. Wonder how many of the other men in the Pacific Proving Grounds were his victims. He did eventually get caught. He was shipped off the island. But his victim or lover or whatever was dragged off to the brig.

The disintegrations that the psyches of the soldiers on the islands undergo as the pressure cooker fails to find release in the tests is horrific. Especially in context with the things that were being done to these soldiers under the guise of “nothing bad can happen to you because the Army wouldn’t allow you to be harmed.” Standing on a beach facing an atomic test without goggles as the hot wind blows over them, sitting in their offices as a fallout warning is given for the island with the admonishment to close the windows and button up when the window are rusted open and won’t shut.

The Lord of the Flies aspects to the men in the barracks dealing with their own.

Why isn’t there a screenplay?
This would make a helluva movie.
______________________________________________________________________________

Last Page Sound:
Loved that.

Author Assessment:
I will take a look at other stuff by Michael Harris.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
really good book

Disposition of Book:
e-Book

Would recommend to:
genre fans
______________________________________________________________________________… (mais)