Trinity - The Library of the Uncommons

Graphic novel, 154 pages

English language

Published Jan. 6, 2012 by Hill and Wang.

ISBN:: 978-0-8090-9468-4
OCLC Number:: 752471723

(1 review)

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.

The power of the atom was harnessed in a top-secret government compound in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where some of the greatest scientific minds in the world gathered together to work on the bomb. Fetter-Vorm showcases J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and General Leslie Groves, the fathers of the atomic …

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.

The power of the atom was harnessed in a top-secret government compound in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where some of the greatest scientific minds in the world gathered together to work on the bomb. 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.

1 edition

Literally Graphic reviewed Trinity by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Review of 'Trinity' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

One of my most exciting new discoveries for Nonfiction November. I had never heard of this graphic novel before I went in search of science/nature comics, I ended up finishing in only a few sittings. Fairly short and extremely readable, it could probably be finished in very short order but life does tend to interupt reading time.

Going into this book I had little to no knowledge about the history of the atom bomb and I hadn't thought about physics since highschool. Thankfully this book touches on just about everything you need to know. Which is a pretty tall order considering how short the book is. Obviously this means that everything gets a bit simplifide, but it didn't feel like it was talking down to me (as an average person) either.

The way in which Fetter-vorm wrote and illustrated Trinity, the story and scientific explinations weave together seemlessly. All the …

One of my most exciting new discoveries for Nonfiction November. I had never heard of this graphic novel before I went in search of science/nature comics, I ended up finishing in only a few sittings. Fairly short and extremely readable, it could probably be finished in very short order but life does tend to interupt reading time.

Going into this book I had little to no knowledge about the history of the atom bomb and I hadn't thought about physics since highschool. Thankfully this book touches on just about everything you need to know. Which is a pretty tall order considering how short the book is. Obviously this means that everything gets a bit simplifide, but it didn't feel like it was talking down to me (as an average person) either.

The way in which Fetter-vorm wrote and illustrated Trinity, the story and scientific explinations weave together seemlessly. All the facts and points he's making building on top of one another as the story unfolds. At first I thought that he was not being hard enough on the people who developed such a devestating weapon, but once I reached the end I realized that his perspective was much more ballanced then I realized.

While it might have been nice to have a stronger anti-war anti-bomb message going on here, I really appreciated the nuanced and ballanced view that Fetter-Vorm presents. For me the facts speak for themselves. What we did to Japan was one of the worst things any one country has done to another. Fetter-Vorm does not spare his readers the gory details, and in so doing I think he presents one of the most convincing caces he could have.

All that said, I do think that one important aspect was left out. As ONE other reviewer said, one group of people was completely ignored throughout this entire narative. The same group of people who are all too often ignored whenever it comes to USA goverment policy. That is, the Native Americans and everyone else living near the Trinity site. Their land forever scarred by a goverment's persuit of death!

Subjects

Atomic bomb
Comic books, strips
Manhattan Project (U.S.)
History

Places

United States