Book description
A New York Times Best Book of the Year
A Time Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Winner
From journalist Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling “account that reads almost like the script for…
Why read it?
3 authors picked Midnight in Chernobyl as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Midnight in Chernobyl is an equally thrilling and chilling book that goes into great detail about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster that occurred in 1986. What I appreciated most about this book was not only its detailed chronology of the disaster on the day it occurred, but also the breadth of context that Higginbotham provides of the years leading up to the destruction of reactor number 4. Disasters are always more than just the decisions made on the day they occurred, and for that reason Higginbotham tells the reader about Soviet reactor design philosophy and the mistakes built into…
The world continues to consider nuclear power, despite the devastation to the nuclear industry caused by the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Nuclear power can play a part in fighting climate change, but we need to be aware of the risks as well as the rewards. Beyond that, it is a well-researched and dramatic story about the trauma that ensues when human communities are beset by environmental disasters.
From David's list on environmental catastrophes.
Revealing how one small incident escalated into an international tragedy and how the secret Soviet state tried to cover it all up. Higginbotham opens up the mystery and gets right inside this most scary story. It could be great fiction except for the fact that it really happened.
From Taylor's list on Cold War mysteries.
If you love Midnight in Chernobyl...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like Midnight in Chernobyl?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Midnight in Chernobyl.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Midnight in Chernobyl, you might also like...
Need to Know
The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.
Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…
Tsunami
On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…
