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Editorial Reviews
Just weeks after multiple disasters struck Japan, National Book Award winner William T. Vollmann ventures into the nuclear hot zone, outfitted only with rubber kitchen gloves, a cloth facemask, and a capricious radiation detector. He emerges with a haunting report on daily life in a now-ravaged Japan -- a country he has known and loved for many years. And in the cities and towns hit hardest by the earthquake, tsunami, and radioactive contamination, Vollmann finds troubling omens of a future heading toward us all.
Related Reviews
Vollmann reports from his beloved Japan with a tentative sense of urgency. Day by day he creeps closer to the radioactive center of the nuclear disaster site in Myagi prefecture which officials have rated as at least equal in scope to the Chernobyl fallout of twenty five years ago. He purchases a handy dosimeter (Geiger counter) in the states, testing it with some old radioactive material provided by a neighbor.
Once in Japan, he surveys the earthquake damage in Sendai, listens to stories of tsunami survivors, and hires various taxi drivers to drive him nearer and nearer to the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) reactor site #1, Fukushima. Mr. Vollmann is vigilant to say the least when it comes to tracking his accumulated radiation exposure. We learn about becquerels, millirems and microsieverts and hear about every tick up on the dosimeter. Apparently if you reach an accumulated 500 rems its lethal for half the exposed. He sets his ten day ceiling to 5 rems.
Through random interviews with the locals we hear what it was like to face a tidal wave on foot or to ride out an 9.0 earthquake in your car. Of the Nuclear accident, Vollmann brings up the Hiroshima question whenever he can, ruminating on the ironies to be found, but he is ever met with ignorance of the details from that earlier era. "Of course more foreigners visit the (Hiroshima) museum than Japanese" says a taxi driver on that fateful island today. In fact many of the residents outside of the "inner ring", a twenty kilometer radius from the ground zero reactor, were not too concerned about being exposed to radiation. Whether this is because of the government downplay of the danger or simply the humility of the Japanese people in general, we never really learn. But are reminded of the Japanese peoples strong nationalism. The author writes of his conversation with the same Hiroshima taxi driver:
"Should TEPCO be punished?" I inquired.
"It was the government's policy" he said loyally. "They did it for the nation."
Once in Japan, he surveys the earthquake damage in Sendai, listens to stories of tsunami survivors, and hires various taxi drivers to drive him nearer and nearer to the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) reactor site #1, Fukushima. Mr. Vollmann is vigilant to say the least when it comes to tracking his accumulated radiation exposure. We learn about becquerels, millirems and microsieverts and hear about every tick up on the dosimeter. Apparently if you reach an accumulated 500 rems its lethal for half the exposed. He sets his ten day ceiling to 5 rems.
Through random interviews with the locals we hear what it was like to face a tidal wave on foot or to ride out an 9.0 earthquake in your car. Of the Nuclear accident, Vollmann brings up the Hiroshima question whenever he can, ruminating on the ironies to be found, but he is ever met with ignorance of the details from that earlier era. "Of course more foreigners visit the (Hiroshima) museum than Japanese" says a taxi driver on that fateful island today. In fact many of the residents outside of the "inner ring", a twenty kilometer radius from the ground zero reactor, were not too concerned about being exposed to radiation. Whether this is because of the government downplay of the danger or simply the humility of the Japanese people in general, we never really learn. But are reminded of the Japanese peoples strong nationalism. The author writes of his conversation with the same Hiroshima taxi driver:
"Should TEPCO be punished?" I inquired.
"It was the government's policy" he said loyally. "They did it for the nation."
The Glass is Full and I want more
With all that goes on in the world today it was nice to find out more about what is going on in Japan from eye witness stories. I look at this book as the glass being half full. There is only so much information someone can glen from a 2 minute news story. We aren't going to get a full book for some time, but this gives us a great start. The IAEA reports probably won't be out for another few months.
Japan may be yesterday's news as things in the Middle East heat up again, but that doesn't mean that they are any less radioactive or much of the area being devastated by the worse nuclear accident since Chernobyl which is still hot.
This size of book is a great read for commute times and I highly recommend this book, but I also want more please.
Japan may be yesterday's news as things in the Middle East heat up again, but that doesn't mean that they are any less radioactive or much of the area being devastated by the worse nuclear accident since Chernobyl which is still hot.
This size of book is a great read for commute times and I highly recommend this book, but I also want more please.
Vollmann reports on post-earthquake Japan, interviewing survivors of the quake and tsumani, reporting his own observations--often with deadpan black humor and outrage. His concern--rightfully so--is with the effects of the radiation poisoning from the leaking nuclear reactors, since, as Vollmann observes, the quakes and tsunami are over and rebuilding can begun, but the long-term effects of radiation can linger for centuries. He notes the conflicting government reports (when any are given) regarding the levels of radioactivity, the ignorance and uncertainty of many Japanese about radiation poisoning, and the Japanese faith in the trustworthiness of their government. In a word, nobody seems to know or understand what is going on.
I'm generally a fan on Vollmann, but was disappointed by this work. He describes his trip to the area surrounding the Fukushima plant, coloring his time there with ruminations on the ethics of nuclear power and the reaction of the human spirit to a natural and a man-made disaster. The idea holds promise, but the execution is lacking. Vollmann doesn't create a rich enough picture of the region or its inhabitants, which become flimsy vehicles for his philosophical meanderings. This is especially problematic as the book progresses; it felt like Vollmann started with strong prose and an interesting voice, only to lose that quality as the book wore on.
I really like what Byliner is doing with this series, and particularly enjoyed their first outing. Into The Forbidden Zone is an ambitious follow up that feels rushed and falls flat. The book isn't bad, but could certainly could have been much better.
I really like what Byliner is doing with this series, and particularly enjoyed their first outing. Into The Forbidden Zone is an ambitious follow up that feels rushed and falls flat. The book isn't bad, but could certainly could have been much better.
the American on the ground report
I found it a fascinating short read with snapshots of post-earthquake Japan. The American attitudes toward nuclear energy and fear of radiation vs the Japanese trust in their government and ties to their home. It reminds me of the joke about 3 blind men describing an elephant and the description depended on which part of the elephant the blind man grabbed hold of. We can only ever be one place at a time and see portions of a more complete story, but man-on-the-ground essays like this one help broaden our appreciation of large tangled stories by telling us several small things about a single place at a single moment.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
Forbidden Zone Falls Short of Expectations
This was a disappointing Kindle single for me. I have read three other Kindle Singles and found them all to be top-notch. The subject matter and title immediately caught my attention and given my other Kindle Single experiences, I was ready for another great read.
The beginning was fairly engaging and Vollman's experience getting a dossimeter to measure radiation exposure when he got to Japan whet my appetite for the remainder of the story. However, I found the rest of the read rather disjointed and lacking real purpose or coherence. There were a range of interview snippets from various individuals once he got to Sendai and the earthquake zone, but nothing that grabbed me emotionally the way other great journalism on this tragedy has done. Furthermore, the question of nuclear power and particularly the fact that Japan had to suffer through this given the legacy and impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was never fully realized by Vollman.
In the end, this had far too many valleys over the course of the piece with just a few bright spots. At some point in the near future, someone will provide a more comprehensive historical account, similar to Douglas Brinkley's account of Hurrican Katrina. Until then, hold off on this as it does little to other existing and shorter form journalism pieces in places like the NYT, New Yorker, etc.
The beginning was fairly engaging and Vollman's experience getting a dossimeter to measure radiation exposure when he got to Japan whet my appetite for the remainder of the story. However, I found the rest of the read rather disjointed and lacking real purpose or coherence. There were a range of interview snippets from various individuals once he got to Sendai and the earthquake zone, but nothing that grabbed me emotionally the way other great journalism on this tragedy has done. Furthermore, the question of nuclear power and particularly the fact that Japan had to suffer through this given the legacy and impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was never fully realized by Vollman.
In the end, this had far too many valleys over the course of the piece with just a few bright spots. At some point in the near future, someone will provide a more comprehensive historical account, similar to Douglas Brinkley's account of Hurrican Katrina. Until then, hold off on this as it does little to other existing and shorter form journalism pieces in places like the NYT, New Yorker, etc.
I have been following the ongoing situation at Fukushima, and thus was extremely interested in the latest Byliner publication. The response to this nuclear disaster has a frustratingly familiar tone (i.e., the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico): officials debating without conclusion as to the magnitude of the problem; communities left guessing at how to respond; individual confusion about the impact on one's health, resources, and way of life.
This fine piece of long-form journalism brings the multi-dimensional nature of nuclear disaster to light in a way that mainstream media forms cannot. Focusing on the nuclear disaster, Vollman travels to within 12 miles of the ailing power plant, providing regular dosimeter readings while documenting up-close the terrible destruction of the quake, tsunami, and unfolding nuclear disaster. His narrative style makes for a compelling read, as he relays the story of impacted Japanese citizens with clarity, poignancy, and - at times - humor.
The long-term impact of the Fukushima disaster is unknown. Into the Forbidden Zone illustrates that more is at stake than we realize. Read this important story. And as you do, to paraphrase Vollman, ask yourself how many more times, and in how many other places, you would like the Fukushima disaster to occur.
This fine piece of long-form journalism brings the multi-dimensional nature of nuclear disaster to light in a way that mainstream media forms cannot. Focusing on the nuclear disaster, Vollman travels to within 12 miles of the ailing power plant, providing regular dosimeter readings while documenting up-close the terrible destruction of the quake, tsunami, and unfolding nuclear disaster. His narrative style makes for a compelling read, as he relays the story of impacted Japanese citizens with clarity, poignancy, and - at times - humor.
The long-term impact of the Fukushima disaster is unknown. Into the Forbidden Zone illustrates that more is at stake than we realize. Read this important story. And as you do, to paraphrase Vollman, ask yourself how many more times, and in how many other places, you would like the Fukushima disaster to occur.
Something different than I thought
I had greater expectations from this single. Considering the extreme actuality of the topic, I expected that this trip would have brought me into the places and people of the hot zone, but I also thought to find some insights on the politics and recent international talks about the future of nuclear power production. Instead, I mainly found a dairy of short trips through the zones hit by the earthquake and tsunami with a sometime repeated account of the way the local people are considering and adjusting to the after disaster. It must be my original fault, but I expected something different.
Love Byliner.com and these short-form book "singles"!
Very excited to see this next entry from Byliner.com only a couple weeks after releasing their scoop "Three Cups of Deceit" by Jon Krakauer. They have lined up another highly respected, award-winning author to cover a very timely subject in book depth just weeks after the initial news hit. Bravo Byliner, keep them coming!
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The conversations described are interesting, but stop short of being compelling. Mostly because they seem (for the most part) like either superficial interviews or else just snippets of a larger conversation. At the beginning he mentions briefly some of the reactions his interpreter has, but considering how close she is to the situation much more details about HER thoughts as she carries on the interpreting would have been interesting as well.
Unfortunately (and perhaps due to how close to the events this trip happened) though the author is very interested in the radiation aspects he does not get to tell the end of the story. He alludes to the Japanese government's methods of distributing information. He alludes to potential exposure risks at the time as well as in the future. He also keeps trying to compare the events of Fukushima to the results of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though he appears to attempt to bring this into his interviews, not many of the people he actually interviews seem to see things that way. Also, while focusing on the radiation, he loses the overall sense of what is going on in the lives of the people he is describing.
I would love to read a follow up from him in about a year where he can re-interview people as well as give a more complete answer to the nuclear questions which would turn this from a 3 star read into a 5 star one. If he writes that one, I'll be buying it!
JTG