Terri M. LeBlanc
Written on Jan 12, 2019
And why would you include pictures and not caption them?
In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesnt officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of monthsa town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders. The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists, and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the governments plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with Junes search for answers. When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself.
- ISBN13 9780062666710
- Publish Date 22 March 2018 (first published 6 February 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 5 April 2024
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Avon Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 384
- Language English
- URL http://harpercollins.co.uk
Reviews
And why would you include pictures and not caption them?
readingwithwrin
Written on Mar 24, 2018
I think by now we can all just know that anything to do with WWII I will read. So when I saw this book I knew I had to read it and soon!
Atomic City Girls follows several different people as they live and work in Tennesse in Atomic City. With June being the one we spend the most time with. We get to see things from Joe Brewer as well and see the segregated side of the city, and the struggles they were facing.
Atomic City was a not so well kept secret to most of the surrounding area. With people going in and out constantly and segregation and only the top military and scientist personal knowing what was happening a lot of mystery and speculation surrounded everyone. With this speculation came high tensions, and hot tempers at times.
Overall I did enjoy this book, but certain things about it I would have liked to know more about. I personally felt like this became more of a romance book then what was actually happening in the city and why it was happening. So many secrets were being kept and while June knew them no one else did that she was close to besides Sam who had some problems. Truthfully I wanted so much more for June and yet I understood why she stayed in the situation she was in as well.
Sam became one of those characters that I wanted to know more about, yet one that I also found myself despising at times. He was such a jerk the more time went on and I just wanted him to leave because of how unhappy he was with what was happening.
I would have loved to see more things from Joe's perspective and I really did favor him as more time went on. I found it fascinating to learn more about a part of history that isn't talked about seeing it alongside something that is talked about a little more.
I want to keep learning more about this time in history so if you have any recommendations for either nonfiction or fiction please tell me them!