Introduction

The New York Times bestseller, now available in paperback—an 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 City

At 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 Ridge’s 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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Discussion Questions

1) Denise Kiernan explains in an author's note, "The information in this book compartmentalized as was much of life ad work during the Manhattan Project" (page xxi) How does the book manage to re -create the workers' experience of months-longs ignorance, and the shock of finding out what they were working on?

2) Consider the disruption of lives and the losses of land and community that resulted form the Manhattan Project. What were some of the sacrifices that families and individuals made in their efforts to end the war? How do these losses compare to the gains of salary, solidarity, and peace? Do you think the ends of the Project justify the means? Why or why not?

3) Discussed the role that patriotism played in everyday life during World War II. Do you think Americans today would be willing or able to make the same sacrifices - including being kept in the dark about their jobs, development overseas, rationed goods, and strict censorship - that families of that era made? Why or why not?

4) Consider the African-American experience at Oak Ridge. What kinds of discrimination did Kattie and her family face? How did Kattie manage to make the best of her substandard living conditions? What role do you think race played in the medical experimentation of Ebbe Cade?

5) Helen was recruited to spy on her neighbors at home and at work. Discuss the ethical implications of the request. Was it fair, necessary, or wise to ask ordinary workers to spy? Are some things acceptable during wartime that wouldn't be otherwise? Why do you think Helen never mailed any of the top-secret envelopes she was given?

6) Although the Clinton Engineer Works turned out to be, in many ways, a social experiment as well as a defense operation, the military didn't account for women's impact on the community: "a sense of permanence. Social connectivity. Home." (page 97). Consider the various ways that women of Oak Ridge tried to make themselves at home. Which of their efforts succeeded, and which failed? Why were some women so successful at making Oak Ridge home while others were depressed and looked forward to leaving?

7) Consider the legacy of President Truman, who made the decision to use atomic weaponry for the first time. How do Americans seem to regard Truman's decision today? How does Truman's legacy compare to other wartime presidents, such as George W. Bush or Lyndon B. Johnson?

8) "The most ambitious war project in military history rested squarely on the shoulders of tens of thousands of ordinary people, many of them young women" (page 108). Compare how The Girls of Atomic City contrasts "ordinary people" to the extraordinary leaders behinds the atomic bomb: the General, the Scientist, and the Engineer. Are the decision makers portrayed as fully as the workers? Do the workers get as much credit as the leaders?

9) Kiernan sets The Girls of Atomic City entirely in the past, re-creating the workers' experiences form her interviews with the surviving women. How would this book have differed if the interviews from the present day were included? Does Kiernan succeed in immersing us in the era of World War II? Explain your answer.

10) Among the workers at Oak Ridge, whose story did you find most fascinating? Which of these women do you think Kiernan brought to life most vividly, and how?

11) Discuss the scenes in the book that take place far from Oak Ridge, Tennessee: scientific discoveries in Europe, secret tests in New Mexico, political meetings in Washington, and post -atomic devastation in Japan. How does this broad view of the bomb's creation and aftermath enrich the story of wartime life in Oak Ridge?

12) Discuss how various contributors to the Manhattan Project felt about the use of the atomic bomb, including General Leslie Groves, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Harry S. Truman. What regrets did they express about the bomb's results, if any. Do you think a weapon of the magnitude could or should be used in present-day warfare? Why or why not?

13) Kiernan writes, "The challenge in telling the story of the atomic bomb is one of nuance, requiring thought and sensitivity and walking line between commemoration and celebration" (page 313). What lasting contributions to society have come out of Oak Ridge, Tennessee? Why is it challenging to celebrate or commemorate the work that has been done in that secret city?

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