Longing for the Bomb

“Through a pointed, careful and movingly poetic story of the atomic city, Oak Ridge, Tennessee — one of the three principal sites of the Manhattan Project — Longing for the Bomb charts one locale in the historical itinerary of the American atomic imaginary. Archival and personal, theoretically astute, Freeman’s book brings into view a history from below — from atomic utopianism to atomic nostalgia — where the dawn of the atomic age was materialized in a landscape and a community, and its contemporary ruins provoke a crisis of remembrance. This is a remarkable contribution to nuclear scholarship.” — Peter C. van Wyck, Concordia University

“The story of the creation of Oak Ridge, told here with a light, elegant touch, is fascinating, and Lindsey Freeman has a masterful command of archival sources, no matter how obscure. Longing for the Bomb will position her as a leading authority on the history of Oak Ridge, just as the work makes a vivid contribution to American social history more generally.” — Hugh Gusterson, George Washington University

“This engaging, creative, and well-researched investigation of the strange emergence of Oak Ridge represents the best of sociocultural history. Retaining a deep commitment to both fact and myth, Freeman shows how rendering the truth of a place requires far more than data, but rather demands a careful analysis of both stories and systems.” — Karen Engle, University of Windsor

“Placing an emphasis on elements of memory and their construction and preservation, Longing for the Bomb makes clear how a new understanding of the history of Oak Ridge can provide insights to be extended to American nuclear history more generally, and to our ongoing flirtations with nuclear technology.” — Bruce Hevly, University of Washington

“Freeman skillfully illuminates the lengthy half-lives of the founding generation’s memories in recounting Manhattan Project communities.” — Journal of American History

“Offers one of the clearest examples of how we have learned to see the means of destruction as our salvation.” — Southern Spaces

“Highly recommended.” — CHOICE

“A substantial contribution to the fields of atomic history, history and memory, and the intersection of social theory and social history.” — Journal of Southern History

“Insightful. . . . Has a serious mission: sifting through Oak Ridge’s myths and pleading for a more progressive vision.” — Chapter 16

“A wonderful and unique addition to any collection of Tennessee history, Southern history, Southern culture, World War II, American history, sociology, and military projects, among others.” — Tennessee Libraries