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Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Hill and Wang

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ISBN10: 0809093553
ISBN13: 9780809093557

Trade Paperback

160 Pages

$19.00

CA$25.00

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An American Library Association Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Trinity, the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project. Along the way, Fetter-Vorm takes special care to explain the fundamental science of nuclear reactions. With the clarity and accessibility that only a graphic book can provide, Trinity transports the reader into the core of a nuclear reaction—into the splitting atoms themselves.

Fetter-Vorm showcases J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and General Leslie Groves, the fathers of the atomic bomb, whose insights unleashed the most devastating explosion known to humankind. These brilliant scientists wrestled daily with both the difficulty of building an atomic weapon and the moral implications of actually succeeding.

When the first bomb finally went off at a test site code-named Trinity, the world was irreversibly thrust into a new and terrifying age. With powerful renderings of the catastrophic events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Fetter-Vorm unflinchingly chronicles the far-reaching political, environmental, and ethical effects of this new discovery. Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Trinity is a dramatic, informative, and thought-provoking book on one of the most significant and harrowing events in history.

Reviews

Praise for Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

"A succinct, compelling, and dramatically illustrated history of the making of the atomic bomb, Trinity is an excellent primer for students and younger readers."—Cynthia C. Kelly, founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation and editor of The Manhattan Project

"The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the first atomic bomb lies deep in our collective imagination. Jonathan Fetter-Vorm's graphic novel honors the physics, the politics, and the human drama of this contemporary morality tale in a manner that is as informative as it is entertaining."—John Adams, Pulitzer Prize winner and composer of Doctor Atomic

"The story of the Manhattan Project has rarely been told with this much clarity and alertness to moral nuance."—Joseph Kanon, author of Los Alamos

"A hugely important story told with virtuosity and heart, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm's Trinity is a standard-bearer for great comics."—Nick Bertozzi, Harvey Award–winning author of The Salon and the Rubber Necker series

"Trinity illuminates a turning-point in human history, and does so with admirable pace, grace, and skill."—Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

"Succeeds as both a graphic primer and a philosophical meditation."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Fetter-Vorm's work . . . is altogether exemplary. And the writing's as good as the art, making this a strong primer on the A-bomb's development."—Booklist

Reviews from Goodreads

About the author

Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Jonathan Fetter-Vorm is an author and illustrator. His graphic novel about J. Robert Oppenheimer, Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb, was selected by the American Library Association as a Best Graphic Novel for Teens in 2013. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.