Skip to content
Home/ Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age
Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age

Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780735212312

**A Washington Post "Notable Nonfiction Book of 2016"**

ON A TRANQUIL SUMMER NIGHT in July 2012, a trio of peace activists infiltrated the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Nicknamed the "Fort Knox of Uranium," Y-12 was supposedly one of the most secure sites in the world, a bastion of warhead parts and hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium--enough to power thousands of nuclear bombs. The three activists--a house painter, a Vietnam War veteran, and an 82-year-old Catholic nun--penetrated the complex's exterior with alarming ease; their strongest tools were two pairs of bolt cutters and three hammers. Once inside, these pacifists hung protest banners, spray-painted biblical messages, and streaked the walls with human blood. Then they waited to be arrested.

WITH THE BREAK-IN and their symbolic actions, the activists hoped to draw attention to a costly military-industrial complex that stockpiles deadly nukes. But they also triggered a political and legal firestorm of urgent and troubling questions. What if they had been terrorists? Why do the United States and Russia continue to possess enough nuclear weaponry to destroy the world several times over?

IN ALMIGHTY, WASHINGTON POST REPORTER Dan Zak answers these questions by reexamining America's love-hate relationship to the bomb, from the race to achieve atomic power before the Nazis did to the solemn 70th anniversary of Hiroshima. At a time of concern about proliferation in such nations as Iran and North Korea, the U.S. arsenal is plagued by its own security problems. This life-or-death quandary is unraveled in Zak's eye-opening account, with a cast that includes the biophysicist who first educated the public on atomic energy, the prophet who predicted the creation of Oak Ridge, the generations of activists propelled into resistance by their faith, and the Washington bureaucrats and diplomats who are trying to keep the world safe. Part historical adventure, part courtroom drama, part moral thriller, Almighty reshapes the accepted narratives surrounding nuclear weapons and shows that our greatest modern-day threat remains a power we discovered long ago.

About the author

Product details

Pub dateAug 1, 2017
ISBN-100735212317
ISBN-139780735212312
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-03-19 00:46
$12.78 $18.00 29% off
You save $5.22 · list price $18.00
In stock soon — order now to reserve your copy
Delivery by Monday, September 14, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from International Relations - Arms Control
See all
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, V. XLI, Western Europe&#x3b; NATO, 1969-1972
<b>NOTE: NO FURTHER DISCOUNT FOR THIS PRINT PRODUCT--OVERSTOCK SALE -- Significantly reduced list price while suppleis last</b><br /><br /><br /> Part of a subseries of the State Department's <i>Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series</i> that documents the most important issues in the foreign policy of the administrations of Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford, this volume documents U.S. regional and bilateral relations with Western Europe from January 20, 1969 to January 20, 1973. <p>In this printed volume, you will find highlights of U.S. policy regarding European economic and political integration, U.S. participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as U.S. bilateral relations with Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.</p><p>The first chapter focuses on U.S. policy toward Western Europe and Canada as a whole, with a focus on two key issues that faced the Nixon administration: <br /><br /> 1) how to maintain the cohesion of the Atlantic Alliance at a time of reduced tensions with the Soviet Union, and<br /> 2) how to respond to the emergence of serious economic tensions among the advanced industrialized nations.<br /><br /> The country chapters in this volume emphasize the key issues that affected each bilateral relationship. Political scientists, historians, foreign policy and international relations scholars, and students pursuing coursework in world history, political science, and international relations may be interested in this historical, primary source volume for research.<br /><br /> Related products: <br /> Other products within the renowned <b>Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series</b> can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/international-foreign-affairs/foreign-relations-united-states-series-frus<br /><br /><b>Resources about International Organizations & United Nations </b>are available here<b> https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/international-foreign-affairs/united-nations-international-organizations<br /><br /> Foreign Affairs & Policy resources collection</b> can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/international-foreign-affairs/foreign-affairs-policy<br /><br /><b>Russia and the Soviet Union collection</b> is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/international-foreign-affairs/russia-soviet-union<br /><br /><b>Richard Nixon collection </b>is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/us-military-history/presidential-history/37-richard-m-nixon<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </p><p><b> </b></p>
$99.06