The Devil Reached Toward the Sky : The Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb - By The People Who

From the New York Times bestselling author of When the Sea Came Alive and The Only Plane in the Sky, a sweeping and comprehensive oral history of the atomic bomb's creation and deployment, marking the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. April 12, 1945. Less than three months into his vice presidency, Harry Truman is catapulted into the Oval Office following the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As he recites the oath, he learns a chilling secret known only to a select few: the United States is on the verge of deploying a weapon of unimaginable power. This weapon could end the war but also herald a new age of global fear and uncertainty. Drawing from over twenty-five oral history archives across the US, Japan, and Europe, Graff has masterfully blended the memories and perspectives from key figures like Harry Truman and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the crews of the B-29 bombers, Enola Gay and Bock's Car, the rescuers who bravely faced the destruction, and the haunting stories of those at ground zero in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including the experiences of the hibakusha - the 'bomb-affected people'. Enriched by memoirs, diaries, letters, official documents, and news reports, this is an immersive and deeply human account of the Manhattan Project through the end of World War II and the dawning of the Cold War, offering a vivid, multi-dimensional view of events that reshaped the world forever'.

OPPENHEIMER EFFECT: Following the huge, international success of the film Oppenheimer (2023), the story of the creation and deployment of the Atomic bomb has come once again strongly into public interest. Garrett's book will tell the complete, behind-the-scenes story so is perfect for those seeking one book to truly understand what happened before, during and after, this undeniably world-altering event.

DEFINITIVE, COMPREHENSIVE, AUTHORITATIVE: Almost 500 pages long and combining sources from over 25 different archives across Europe, America and Japan, with material including memoirs, diaries, letters, official documents and news reports, this is the most extensive and definitive book on the market.

STAR AUTHOR: Garrett Graff is the internationally bestselling author of oral histories including The Only Plane in the Sky (over 36k UK TCM across editions) and Watergate, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Author Biography

Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff has spent nearly two decades covering politics, technology, and national security, and is now recognized as one of America's most prolific and wide-ranging journalists and historians. He is the former editor of POLITICO Magazine, a regular writer for publications from Rolling Stone to Esquire to the Washington Post, a contributor to WIRED and CNN, and a regular voice and analyst on NPR, PBS NewsHour and the History Channel. He is the author of a half dozen award-winning books, including the international bestseller The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11.

REVIEWS:

'If you are an intelligent person, or at the very least think you are, you have to read Garrett Graff's THE DEVIL REACHED TOWARD THE SKY. Even if you don't read this lengthy masterpiece, you should keep it in your library to demonstrate that you are curious and literate [...] it's everything, and more, about the atom bomb, the Manhattan Project, and the terrifying destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This period in history has never been more relevant and frightening than it is today.' JAMES PATTERSON

'Magisterial...A stunning account that brings to the fore the nuclear saga's surreal combination of ingenuity, fate, and terror.' -Publishers Weekly (starred review)



'Comprehensive and engrossing...Excellent oral history.' -Kirkus Reviews