Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb

A well-written and eye-opening book, about a part of the world mostly unknown to younger western readers. With the war raging in Ukraine, this book is very timely as it helps to understand how the post-soviet reality came into existence. Tragic and heartbreaking at parts, it emphasizes the devastating effects of nuclear weapons and the danger they -still- pose to human existence. Most importantly though, for a present generation of "sofa and social media rebels", the people of Kazakhstan are an inspiration of courage, bravery and determination. Essential reading!

I'll admit I struggled to get through this book. I have read lots (like, lots!) of books about the cold war and nuclear testing so I came to this book with high hopes. Yet, it just wasn't a particularly engaging read for me. Honestly, it felt more like a research paper than a book. Lots of facts sort of strung together in chronological sequence. There were plenty of people in this book but they remained for the most part ethereal spirits who came and went, we never got to know much about them.There were definitely some points of interest but I felt like very little time was devoted to them, just page after page of "this person said this, then this person did that then this happened, and someone else said something".I feel bad for being so honest because I really wanted to enjoy this book. If I was a research student who needed to know more about Kazakhstan before, during and after the cold war, this would be an excellent source of material. But I'm not, I'm just some guy who wants to be gripped, and honestly, nothing particularly gripping happened. That's not to diminish the atrocities committed by the Soviets in Semipalatinsk and the horror of the indigenous people surviving the nuclear tests, not is it to downplay the role of the US in removing nearly half a ton of HEU out of the country and keeping it out of other country's hands. It's just that nothing really got my heart pumping.I guess if the question is "How did Kazakhstan give up the bomb?" the answer is simply "they gave them back to Russia" because that's pretty much what happened.Many interesting facts worthy of 3 stars but not enough excitement for more.