Review: Trinity

This book’s subtitle is, “A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb” and it really is just that. If you’re looking to learn about the ramifications of the detonation, the dispersal of the technology, or the moral struggles of the people involved, you can skip this one. Author Jonathan Fetter-Vorm focuses almost entirely on the construction of the thing, and I guess that’s a valid focus.

I was expecting more, though. In my mind, those other topics are much more deserving of study and reflection. The technical details are requisite context but not so relevant in their own right. It’s certainly interesting to learn how such terrible amounts of energy can be coaxed out of anomalous materials, and to his credit, Fetter-Vorm does a great job explaining the concepts. From magnified renderings of atomic events to an extended metaphor with dominoes, the author sheds a lot of light on how these bombs work. In the process, he also underscores the amazing technical achievement they represent (he acknowledges the organizational achievement as well, though to a somewhat lesser extent).

So on the one hand, it might not be fair to criticise a book for neglecting to explore topics that are beyond its scope. On the other, glossing over those issues seems borderline irresponsible. For all the pages dedicated to the challenges of constructing the bomb, we’re given just a handful about the enduring tragedy of its detonation, and even fewer about the reservations of the people who lead the effort.

In some ways, maybe this is appropriate for a younger audience. Wikipedia tells me this is a “Young adult” novel, and that’s news to me. If I had read with that expectation, I might have a higher opinion of the work overall. I’m not so sure, though: kids are smart, and they deserve–need, really–the fullness of a complete conversation. Trinity is nice to look at, but at the end of the day, it feels more like a comic book gimmick than a meaningful work of history.