NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE 'MASTERPIECE' COMPLETE ORAL HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC BOMB - BY
A PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST 'Magisterial...A stunning account that brings to the fore the
nuclear saga's surreal combination of ingenuity fate and terror.' -Publishers Weekly (starred
review) 'If you are an intelligent person or at the very least think you are you have to
read The Devil Reached Toward the Sky. ..This period in history has never been more relevant
and frightening than it is today.' -James Patterson 'Comprehensive and engrossing...Excellent
oral history.' -Kirkus Reviews 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. * New York Times #7 on the
Hardcover Non-Fiction Chart week of August 25th 2025.
