TheNewYorkTimesbestseller,nowavailableinpaperback--anincredibletruestoryofthetop-secretWorldWarIItownofOakRidge,Tennessee,andtheyoungwomenbroughtthereunknowinglytohelpbuildtheatomicbomb.“Thebestkindofnonfiction:marvelouslyreported,fluidlywritten,andaremarkablestory...Asmeticulousandbrilliantasitiscompulsivelyreadable.“--KarenAbbott,authorofSinintheSecondCityAttheheightofWorldWarII,OakRidge,Tennessee,washometo75,000residents,andconsumedmoreelectricitythanNewYorkCity,yetitwasshroudedinsuchsecrecythatitdidnotappearonanymap.Thousandsofcivilians,manyofthemyoungwomenfromsmalltownsacrosstheU.S.,wererecruitedtothissecretcity,enticedbythepromiseofsolidwagesandwar-endingwork.Whatweretheyactuallydoingthere?Veryfewknew.Thepurposeofthismysteriousgovernmentprojectwaskeptasecretfromtheoutsideworldandfromthemajorityoftheresidentsthemselves.Somewonderedwhy,despitetheconstantworkandround-the-clockactivityinthismakeshifttown,didnotangibleproductofanykindeverseemtoleaveitsguardedgates?Thewomenwhokeptthistownrunningwouldfindoutattheendofthewar,whenOakRidge’ssecretwasrevealedandchangedtheworldforever.DrawingfromthevoicesandexperiencesofthewomenwholivedandworkedinOakRidge,TheGirlsofAtomicCityrescuesaremarkable,forgottenchapterofWorldWarIIfromobscurity.DeniseKiernancapturesthespiritofthetimesthroughthesewomen:theirpluck,theirdesiretocontribute,andtheirenduringcourage.“Aphenomenalstory,“andPublishersWeeklycalleditan“intimateandrevealingglimpseintooneofthemostimportantscientificdevelopmentsinhistory.““Kiernanhasamassedadeepreservoirofintimatedetailsofwhatlifewaslikeforwomenlivinginthesecretcity...Rosie,itturnsout,didmuchmorethandriverivets.“--TheWashingtonPost
