The Plot (in 5 sentences or less):  Tipped off by European physicists in 1939 that it was possible to create an extraordinarily dangerous bomb, FDR signs the order which sets off the race to create this powerful weapon before the Nazis do.   Brilliant physics professor Robert Oppenheimer puts together a team of world class talent and brings them to Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Meanwhile, Russian agents scramble to cultivate spy connections to penetrate the military base and steal the secrets behind the atomic bomb design.  Concerned that Nazis are ahead in the race to build the bomb, partisans attack a heavy water producing plant in Norway to to inhibit German efforts.   The final chapters of the book cover the story of the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan and the devastating effects.

My Take:   I was lucky enough to hear Steve Sheinkin speak at the Virginia Library Association’s Conference in Williamsburg, VA on September 27 when he accepted an award for this book.  It is definitely well deserved.  Bomb is tightly written and reads like a fiction thriller.  I read it in probably two sittings and simply did not want it to end.  My one critique of the book is its use of conversational dialogue throughout.  I always question when historical non-fiction books use quotes: how do they know that they said exactly that?  Still, this is a mild criticism for a wonderful book.

One Interesting Note About the Author:  Steve Sheinkin started his career by editing and writing textbooks.  Disenchanted with how many interesting stories that he had to leave out of the history books, he began writing history books for kids in which he could keep all of the fascinating odds and ends.