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The Girls of Atomic City
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II | Denise Kiernan
The New York Times bestseller, now available in paperbackan incredible true story of the top-secret World War II town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the young women brought there unknowingly to help build the atomic bomb.The best kind of nonfiction: marvelously reported, fluidly written, and a remarkable story...As meticulous and brilliant as it is compulsively readable. Karen Abbott, author of Sin in the Second CityAt the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, and consumed more electricity than New York City, yet it was shrouded in such secrecy that it did not appear on any map. Thousands of civilians, many of them young women from small towns across the U.S., were recruited to this secret city, enticed by the promise of solid wages and war-ending work. What were they actually doing there? Very few knew. The purpose of this mysterious government project was kept a secret from the outside world and from the majority of the residents themselves. Some wondered why, despite the constant work and round-the-clock activity in this makeshift town, did no tangible product of any kind ever seem to leave its guarded gates? The women who kept this town running would find out at the end of the war, when Oak Ridges secret was revealed and changed the world forever.Drawing from the voices and experiences of the women who lived and worked in Oak Ridge, The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of World War II from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage. A phenomenal story, and Publishers Weekly called it an intimate and revealing glimpse into one of the most important scientific developments in history.Kiernan has amassed a deep reservoir of intimate details of what life was like for women living in the secret city...Rosie, it turns out, did much more than drive rivets. The Washington Post
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ravenlee
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Yesterday‘s #bookhaul from the gift shop at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Lots of info in a small space, but it was hard to find where any particular thread began. Today is for McKay‘s after lunch out with my favorite SIL, and kiddo and probably my MIL. Plans are very flexible at this point (read: nobody will agree to anything and even if they do they‘re likely to change their minds anyway).

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BookishGirl06
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My October #bookspin #bookspinbingo. This counts as a readathon?

DrJAdMerricksson I just got All Our Twisted Secrets yesterday! Happy reading. I'd say it counts as a readathon! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! And yes, any time you are reading a book from your BookSpinBingo list it counts as readathon reading time!! And as a bonus, scoring bingos on your bingo board earns points, too!!! 3y
BookishGirl06 I should probably have added all these for #screamathon @4thhouseontheleft 3y
BkClubCare I like how you presented this! 😊 3y
67 likes4 comments
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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

Very interesting piece of WWII history. My #doublespin for November @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
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cathysaid
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Still debating about participating in #Booked2021 as I‘m TERRIBLE at book challenges, but I did look at my shelves to see what would fit for the prompts. I‘m interpreting a couple loosely right now, such as using the tagged book for (2) as I‘m not sure if it is technically “women in science.” And of course...I‘m a bit stuck for a book to fulfill (3) so for now, I‘m improvising. 😆

@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen Hahaha!! We love when people get creative!! It‘s ultimately your challenge so interpret away xx we don‘t mind 😜 4y
Cinfhen And #2 is perfectly legit 🎉🙌🏻💜 4y
cathysaid @Cinfhen Oh good. It‘s been on my shelves for a couple of years so maybe this will make me read it. And hopefully I can find a baked-goods-cover. If not, I‘m at least replacing the bread with a yummy blueberry muffin. 4y
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Cinfhen Definitely go for a blueberry muffin or at least a good rustic sourdough 💕 4y
Suet624 I just get cranky when I think about challenges. I‘m such a contrarian. 4y
cathysaid @Suet624 I have good intentions but inevitably get sidetracked ☺️ 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Suet624 It‘s good to know yourself! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @cathysaid I love your muffin idea ... I think that baked goods prompt will be easy for cozy mystery readers. But maybe not so much for others. 4y
31 likes8 comments
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suvata
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Pickpick

I just finished the last book in #LMPBC Round 9 - #GroupH (GIRL POWER).
@mrsmarch @Kaila-Ann @suvata @Shakespearience

I have to say, this was another great round. All the books had “girls“ in the titles and they were all about amazing women and yet so different from each other. A most satisfying round, to be sure. Thanks to everyone for making it so special. @Shakespearience I will mail The Girls of Atomic City to you on Tuesday.

bibliobard It was fun for sure! I did like how some of the books brushed against each other on certain topics though. 4y
suvata @Shakespearience Absolutely. That was one of the reasons I found it so fascinating. 4y
mrsmarch I‘m struggling a bit with Girls of Murder City. Hard to start. But I‘m sticking with it! 4y
suvata @mrsmarch I got halfway through that book when I realized it was based on the Broadway play and movie called “Chicago”. Once I realized that I breezed through it. 🙂 4y
51 likes4 comments
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suvata
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#LMPBC Round 9 - #GroupH @Kaila-Ann
I received the book today. Thanks.

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suvata
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#LMPBC Round 9 - #GroupH
 @Kaila-ann Did you mail THE GIRLS OF ATOMIC CITY to me yet? Just checking to make sure it didn‘t get lost somewhere.

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AmyK1
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Pickpick

Another book about a part of history I knew little about. Young women were recruited to live and work in a secret town in Tennessee. The majority of them had no idea what they were working with or what it was for. The book tended to drag a bit in places and there were so many people mentioned it was hard to keep them all straight. 3.5 ⭐️

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mrsmarch
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My littlest on the beach last night. It took me forever to read the tagged book, only because I had a very rough month. I took some time off from reading to work on some handicrafts, and it was refreshing. But I finished it this morning and mailed it priority to @Kaila-ann #LMPBC #GirlsGirlsGirls

suvata I hope things are going a little smoother for you now 4y
Beatlefan129 Beautiful photo 4y
Kaila-ann Sorry you‘re having a rough month 😔. Hope it gets better 🤞🏻. Cool picture. 4y
ValerieAndBooks Gorgeous picture! Sorry you‘ve had a rough month thus far — hope things get better soon 💖 4y
37 likes4 comments
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mrsmarch
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While I‘m having a terrible reading month — basically all I‘ve managed is my #LMPBC selection (tagged), my friend the fabulous breath of fresh air @Lbethoney has joined #Litsy! Time for the #welcomewagon!

BookwormAHN Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 😺 4y
Laughterhp Welcome to Litsy! @Lbethoney 4y
Mrs_B Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 🎉 4y
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julesG Welcome to Litsy! @Lbethoney 4y
Eggs @mrsmarch thanks for tagging me 💖 4y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 🥳😊🥳 4y
Darklunarose Welcome to litsy @Lbehoney 4y
Meaw_catlady Thanks for the tag!! Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 🖖 4y
ValerieAndBooks Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 📚📚📚 !! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Welcome to Litsy @Lbethoney 🙌🏻📚🎊🎉 We hope that you love it!! 4y
Cinfhen Welcome @Lbethoney You‘ve found your tribe of fellow book lovers 🤓 4y
36 likes14 comments
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bibliobard
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Pickpick

Just now finished reading this in my blanket fort. It was an interesting look at history that I knew very little about: the everyday people involved in building the atom bomb. I didn‘t even know that one of the locations for making some of the material was “right next door” in Tennessee! Now I am ready to send it on for @mrsmarch #LMPBC #Round009 #GroupH

mrsmarch Got it! 📖 4y
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goodbyefrancie
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A wild Friday night at home, just like I like it.

#Audiopuzzling #Audible

Leftcoastzen Bacontopia !🥓 5y
OrangeMooseReads That‘s a great looking puzzle lol 5y
goodbyefrancie @Leftcoastzen @OrangeMooseReads It's making me want bacon! 5y
rabbitprincess I am really hungry now! Mmmmm bacon 😋 5y
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Eggs
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At the height of World War II, young women from small towns across the South were recruited to Oak Ridge, TN, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. What they actually did was kept secret until the end of the war...

#victory
#marchmadness

tracey38 I lived in Oak Ridge for a couple years. It's an amazing little town. My great-grandfather was a physicist and chemist who also worked in Oak Ridge during that time period. The history really is amazing. 5y
Eggs Fascinating! @tracey38 (edited) 5y
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Mitch
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Thank you so so much @CoffeeNBooks this arrived today - what a lovely lovely surprise. This books looks fascinating - I really enjoyed Radium Girls and i'm on a real Non Fiction jaunt at the moment. Thanks honey 💝

CoffeeNBooks Glad it got there! I realized when I ordered it that it would get there too late for the holidays, so Happy New Year! 😊 5y
Mitch @CoffeeNBooks happy new year 🥳 (edited) 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Vuth I do like this sort of book, non-faction 5y
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Blaire
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Pickpick

Young women arrived in rural Tennessee with no idea that were working on the atomic bomb. An entire city was built around this secret project. Book looks at the social dynamics, the women‘s backgrounds, and the role of race. I‘ll admit to skimming the sections on the science a bit. Overall gained insight into a part of WW2 history I knew very little about. #nonfictionnovember

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Verity
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Pickpick

Absolutely fascinating. Another book I‘ve had on my want to read list done the author appeared on the daily show. And it was well worth it. A look at the personal histories of some of the people who built the atom bomb without knowing

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Verity
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Library hold came in at last!

Aims42 I found this book fascinating!! Hope you enjoy it 5y
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dsfisher
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1. Totally Teleport!!
2. Not sure why but I‘m struggling to finish this.
3. No, didn‘t want to waste time 😏
4. Did the Derby Girls (hysterical) and Bodyguard (6 part series)

#friyayintro
@howjessreads

AlaMich Isn‘t Derry Girls hilarious!! I watched the last one last night and I‘m so mad there aren‘t more!! 6y
dsfisher @AlaMich Really hoping for more episodes. @DGRachel and I really enjoyed it 6y
heikemarie For me the tagged book will probably be an audio read in 2019 :) 6y
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TheSpineView
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I have NO willpower! My latest haul! 😻

KatieCarpenter I have no willpower ever! 6y
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ReadingEnvy
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Pickpick

I was having dinner at a former student assistant's house (she's in school to be a librarian now!) and her dad let me borrow this (he's been on the podcast before too)... I've driven past Oak Ridge a few times and had no idea of the history of the place. Fascinating but chilling how all these people were contributing to the war machine in ways they didn't even understand. People still disappear into jobs around there so I think the work continues.

Richryan52 Nicely done! 7y
Richryan52 What podcast? 7y
ReadingEnvy @Richryan52 Reading Envy, my podcast. 7y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders I really loved this one too! 7y
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ReadingEnvy

"Having grown up in a mining town, she knew from dirt."
This is a language variant that I swear I didn‘t encounter until moving to the south and I don‘t quite understand it. She knew from dirt? Why not just say she knew dirt? Any insights?

LitLogophile I‘ve never seen or heard this😂 7y
Eggs Kind of like humble beginnings, hardscrabble. Or she knew her way around, she knew what's what. Does that help? 7y
ReadingEnvy @Eggs well the surrounding paragraph is about the abundant mud... it‘s more the grammar I‘m fascinated by, the "knew from x" pattern I keep seeing and hearing. It always feels to me like it‘s missing a word. 7y
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Soubhiville It is weird isn‘t it? I heard it in speech when I moved to NC/TN. There are a lot of other strange speech patterns here as well! 7y
Eggs I always paired it colloquially with Jersey/New Yahk; i.e. The jeweler--he knew from diamonds 7y
Ruthiella I have only heard it used in the negative “he doesn‘t know from ....” Meaning a person doesn‘t know anything about the subject. 7y
SconsinBookyBadger I‘ve heard of phrase “doesn‘t know from x.” Not aware of it being used in a different way. 7y
Eggs I guess every region has its own peculiar phrases😊 7y
ReadingEnvy @Eggs yes you have it right! 7y
ReadingEnvy @anansigirl @Eggs @Ruthiella @LitLogophile my friend found an answer!! According to this podcast, it's actually a direct borrowing from Yiddish!
https://www.waywordradio.org/to-know-from-something/
7y
LitLogophile That‘s so interesting! 7y
Eggs Thanks for sharing that podcast!!! @reading envy 7y
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Book_in_hands
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#welcomespring #spring inside but outside is a different story. Enjoying the sunshine with this months book club selection, also enjoying the book!!! (The tagged book)
#marchinbooks
#readingresolutions

rubyslippersreads Lovely photo and mug! 7y
FlowerFairy Love your mug! 7y
MissAimz_55 Beautiful pic 7y
50 likes4 comments
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StephanieGeiser
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Pickpick

This book was chosen for my irl book club and I didn‘t finish it in time for the discussion. However, I eventually got back to it and I am so happy I did! It was well-written and gave me an excellent snapshot of life for women working on The Bomb during WWII. In fact, about 6 months after I finished reading it my dad was telling me all about this fabulous book he just finished that I absolutely must read. Spoiler: it was the same book!

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OrangeMooseReads
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Pickpick

Finished this last week (I‘m so behind on reviews). Loved it. I was completely ignorant of this bit of US History, I knew about the big picture of it, but not this detail. US History isn‘t my jam to be honest. I was glad to have listened to this and learn about these women and there lives. The narration was excellent and the writing fantastic. The women‘s stories and the science-y stuff was blended well. Full review OrangeMooseReads.wordpress.com

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Book_in_hands
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2. The new season of survivor and BB Canada starts tonight!!!
3. Just going to start my next pic for book club, The girls of atomic city(tagged book), I don't know yet!
4. It's snowing🌨❄️🌨
5. Yes and yes
#humpdaypost

MinDea We are a survivor and BB household! 7y
Centique Look at that cute mug! 7y
thereadingowlvina Nice mug! 7y
alisiakae Cute mug! 7y
scripturient Love your mug!! 7y
43 likes5 comments
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Aims42
Pickpick

This book was AWESOME!! I was completely fascinated by it. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in WWII and wants to learn something that maybe wasn‘t covered in a history class

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Aims42
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GUYS! My company gave us a “work from home” day because of the 6+ inches of snow Chicago and the suburbs got last night and this morning (and it‘s still snowing at 12:26 pm!!!!). That means when it‘s slow I can read my book with zero worry of getting caught. YESSSSSSSS! 🙌🏻🎉😍☃️❄️🌨

sweetpealsd Yep! I‘m in the Chicago suburbs. Snow day for the kids! 7y
Reviewsbylola Perfect way to start the weekend. 🙌🏻 7y
TorieStorieS My office did the same thing!! It sure is a ton of snow!! 7y
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Alfoster Where in Chicago? My brother lives in Evanston. 7y
Aims42 @Alfoster I‘m near Wheaton, I bet your brother got a ton of snow too! The storm didn‘t seem to miss anyone lol 7y
Alfoster Yup! They love it though! We grew up in Minnesota but I live in California now. 7y
Aims42 @Alfoster I‘ve got family in Minnesota too! I hope Cali is treating you good, I‘m definitely envious right now 😉 7y
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Aims42
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When your current read matches your favorite reading chair 👍🏻

ElyssaReads Looks cozy! 7y
40 likes1 comment
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GinEyre22
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#newyearreads #readingresolutions Day 31: This month's reading stats

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great system! Love it! 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great job!!!! 7y
Thatpartyhat This is immensely satisfying. Bravo! 7y
34 likes3 comments
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emilyesears
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I finished reading Atomic City Girls and of course inevitably I was comparing it to Denise Kiernan‘s book. It seems pretty obvious that Janet Beard and her publisher are trying to ride the coattails of that earlier book. Considering the 1st book is a narrative nonfiction, it made Beard‘s book seem pretty redundant. Also, literally none of the females featured in both books could be called a girl so the titles of both annoy me.

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Jigglydean
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Getting comfy! Ready to start my first read of the year!

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emilyesears
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I was initially concerned I was not going to finish this before the end of the year, which would have annoyed me. I like starting the year with a clean slate. But we drove up 3 hours to our family Christmas party this morning & I read a good chunk in the car. I definitely expect to finish this before midnight tomorrow. I‘ll come back in 2018 with a review of it and my yearly stats. Until then, Happy New Year Litsy! Thanks for a great reading year!

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Amie
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Panpan

Really disappointing. Would have bailed early but it's for book club. I thought it would be really interesting to learn about this piece of history, but the book was pretty boring with just a few interesting parts. I disliked the writing style - dramatized/embellished to sound like a novel - & I found the tone too casual & folksy most of the time. The structure was terrible, making it hard to keep people straight.

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Amie
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I just got home from Saturday morning job and decided to just crawl back in bed 😁 I need to finish this for book club this evening. Hopefully the coffee keep me awake.

BookMaven407 I was recently in Oak Ridge and picked up this book. I'm looking forward to reading it. 7y
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Amie
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Starting this month's read for my book club.

Aims42 I hope you enjoy it, I've got it on my Christmas gift list 7y
44 likes1 comment
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Smrloomis
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Bought this Kindle deal today. Hope I can get to it soon 🤞🏽

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britt_brooke
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Snagged this #ebookdeal! It has been on my #TBR for a few years. Has anyone read it?

Librarybelle I have! I liked it overall, though there were parts that were a little dry (I'm not a science aficionado, so the science explanations did drag for me). I especially enjoyed her interviews with workers and residents. 7y
Laura317 I loved it, and I'm a native Oak Ridger. It is a good history of the some of the unsung heroes working here to end the War. 7y
britt_brooke @Librarybelle Good to know - Thanks! 7y
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britt_brooke @Laura317 Good to hear. I'm looking forward to reading it! 7y
MaureenMc Yes, my book club read this a couple of years ago. Overall, I thought it was a good read and I learned a ton. 7y
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muchadoaboutnothing
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Pickpick

I've read a lot of "untold women" books lately, particularly about women in science. This one was exceptional, although more for the story of Oak Ridge than for the stories of the women in it. The women profiled's lives never intersected with each other, which was unique among the "untold women" books. All in all, it was a captivating and interesting book, focused on, though not revolving around, the central women.

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PrezBookster
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😂🐾

LauraBrook Are you sure? He's pretty subtle... 😂😂 8y
Redwritinghood 💕💕 8y
PrezBookster @LauraBrook RIGHT?! He knows what's up... when I'm reading it's hard to get my attention by just regular staring tactics! 8y
SoniaC By all means give it to him! Those eyes!! 8y
TrishB Gorgeous 💓 8y
82 likes5 comments
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PrezBookster
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Started to get very detailed.. 😣 for a mom chemist my brain was frying.. 🍳 soo lets see how this chapter goes!

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PrezBookster
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Been waiting to read this for a while! #rainydayread

Laura317 The audio book was fab! I'll be interested to hear what you think of the book. 8y
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Laura317
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Pickpick

What an illuminating read this was! I had no idea about half of the stuff in the book. The personal histories of these women were fascinating. Many came to town not knowing anything about what they were doing, and still didn't know until the War had ended. I have to admit when the author went into the scientific parts, all I heard was "blah, blah, gadget, blah, blah". But the history? Spot on! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jaimelire Wasn't this a great book? Loved it 8y
CouronneDhiver Sounds great! I'll plan to check it out 8y
Laura317 @Jaimelire It is so good! @CouronneDhiver I hope you like it! 8y
52 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
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Audible has a 2 for 1 sale going on right now.

JaclynW I got 4 books! I love these sales! 8y
30 likes1 comment
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lmcd
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this book. Easy to read and the audiobook is very well read.

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lmcd
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Excellent in many levels. Reading/listening depending on what is most convenient.

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Laura317
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I'm listening to this on audio today as I sit and look out my office window - thinking of what used to be here before everything changed. East Tennesseean's have been forced to move from their ancestral homes too many times by the government (starting with the Cherokee's forced removal).

Jaimelire Really enjoyed this one 8y
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ElizaTodd
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Had a great walk in the beautiful Florida weather with sweet Daisy and @kylienoele and we found two Little Free Libraries 💕

Dolly I love that people are doing this. I'd love to put one up someday. In need of an accomplice. 😉 8y
ElizaTodd @Dolly Me too! @kylienoele and I have already discussed trying to create one within our neighborhood! 8y
Reviewsbylola Love them! 8y
93 likes3 comments
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Bookish_B
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Some suggested reading for #WomensHistoryMonth 🤓

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Iindseyo
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Visited the Manhattan Project National Park today in Oak Ridge, TN and enjoyed finding the cover photo of the Girls of Atomic City in the museum 😊

Jaimelire Loved that book (edited) 8y
22 likes1 comment
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lynneamch
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A big hug back to @Lidia for my Valentine lip balm, cute pens, and PERFECT books. I will love reading about the empowered women in Radio Girls. I've been to Oak Ridge many times and have wanted to read more about it, but still hadn't bought Atomic City. So much to look forward to! And thanks to @BookishMarginalia #cupidgoespostal

LeahBergen 😍😍 8y
Reviewsbylola 😍😍😍 (edited) 8y
BookishMarginalia The Girls of Atomic City is very good! I enjoyed the audiobook 👍🏼 8y
Lidia I'm so glad you liked it! 😊 8y
Megabooks So cool! 8y
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