Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

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.

Genres: Graphic Novels, History, Nonfiction, Science, War, Historical, World War II

154 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2012

About the author

Jonathan Fetter-Vorm is an author and illustrator. His first book, 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. His Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War, co-authored with historian Ari Kelman, was published in May of 2015. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Slate, and Guernica. Jonathan lives with his wife and son in Montana.

Reviews

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

a powerful graphic book

It explains how humans made the first nuclear weapons. How they deployed them. And what were the consequences - consequences that remain with us. Even today there are world leaders threatening the human race with nuclear destruction.

Trinity provides us with a succinct, accurate and important story, well written and well drawn. It’s not dumbed down in any way though of course you can get your hands on longer and more detailed works.

[Greta G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great scientific and historical overview of the making of the first atomic bombs and the decision to drop them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Well-written and well researched, with simple black and white drawings, this graphic novel was an informative and satisfactory read.
Now I need to find some uranium and plutonium to try this at home.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a history of the atomic bomb, Trinity is also a primer on the physics and history behind nuclear fission, and simultaneously a social history of the Manhattan Project. Fetter-Vorm is a storyteller and an educator, seamlessly weaving the story of Oppenheimer and General Groves' collaborative project in the desert of New Mexico (not too far from where I grew up...) with the history of science.

One of the standout sections of the book for me was the countdown to the test explosion in Los Alamos, interspersed with Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad Gita. The book states that the conversations and situations within really happened, so Oppenheimer, a scholar of Sanskrit and ancient Indian Literature, truly did quote Krishna's words to Arjuna. Fascinating.

The end of the book was very difficult to read, knowing the history and the end results of this "creation".

Trinity is a very important addition to the growing number of graphic histories. I hope to see more work by Fetter-Vorm.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita… ‘Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.’”

By dinnertime on August 6, “the newscasters had grown more philosophical. The nation began to consider what life in the atomic age might mean.”

A slow realization that I will be reading about this topic (and the surrounding world of WWII) for the foreseeable future. Will save American Prometheus for a little while. What Nolan’s film did was to viscerally plunge me into what most of the world would have felt during the Cold War. For that hard to transmit and hard to receive piece of information, I thank him. The fear isn’t gone. It’s just not as salient. We live in an age of distraction, so distract ourselves we will. The best thing to do for now is to ingest information, become familiar with history, and keep moving.



This book is not just focused on Oppenheimer, but on the aftermath as well. The images are haunting.

[Izabela Górska]

Czasami nie potrzeba słów żeby wbić mnie w fotel, zwłaszcza kiedy mowa jest o prawdziwych wydarzeniach. Wiedza o bombie atomowej i wszystkim co z nią związane w pigułce. BARDZO DOBRE CZYTAJCIE!

[Trudie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this graphic novel up purely because I needed a "book about technology" for a reading challenge, not a topic I naturally gravitate towards in my reading. I certainly don't think I would have come across this particular book without that nudge.

This is a fantastic discovery for me, the power of graphic novels to tell a story like this in a way that doesn't feel dumbed down, yet neither is it obfuscated in dry facts and dense prose. For readers who shy away from reading non-fiction I think this is a perfect introduction to the fascinating story of The Manhattan Project. It presents the science, history and ethical considerations around the development of the first atomic bomb in a way you can digest in one sitting. The quotes come directly from source documents where possible and the imagery is particularly brilliant at explaining concepts like nuclear fission and isotopes of Uranium. I think even the most scientifically adverse would appreciate the domino analogy used to explain the concept of critical mass. Obviously, if this graphic novel sparks your curiosity for the topic there are more in depth works which are cited for interested readers in the back of the book.

There were certain areas of this story I wanted to know more about, I think some of the politics was glossed over and the aftermath was touched on very briefly. However, on the whole I thought this was exceptional.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to this book I had never read a Graphic Novel. I will admit to even being a bit of a book snob, the type who thought Graphic Novels were just glorified comic books, and not real books. I read literature, I read 1000+ page classics. Graphic novels? Pshaw!

But this book has changed my opinion of Graphic Novels. I didn't know they could be this good. I didn't know they could be this emotional. I didn't know they could be this educational.

It could be that I am going through a reading binge on the atomic bomb, Los Alamos, Trinity, etc., so I am interested in this topic, but the way it was presented was incredible. The book tells the story of the scientists, of the development and testing of the bomb at Los Alamos, and then the use of the bomb on Japan.

The black and white drawings are very well done. Some of the pages really made me stop. Yes, stop. Stop, stare at a page. Stare at a picture. Stare at the simple dialogue, or no dialogue, and just think. Imagine. Digest. Absorb. Cringe. Put in a bookmark, set the book down. Think. Open the book back up. Look at the page again. Wow. Really. Intense. And yes, this is from a Graphic Novel, what I used to consider a glorified comic book. But this is no comic book.

So thank you to Mr. Fetter-Vorm for changing my viewpoint on the Graphic Novel. I hope there are other similar educational, non-fiction books of this type. I will now be on the lookout for them. Because it is true, a picture can be worth 1000 words.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Jonathan Fetter-Vorm for an excellent, well-written and informative book about Little Boy and Fat Man, the atomic bombs dropped on Hirsohima and Nagasaki to end World War II. In a graphic book format, using simple but effective black and white drawings, Trinity weaves together the science, social, military and political background for the invention of this world-changing technology. Very well researched, integrating source material, the secrecy in which the bombs were constructed, it ends with the devastation inflicted and the questions that still remain over the role for weapons of mass destruction worry in modern warfare. Recommended, especially for teenagers who are not big readers, but do like history.

[Ryan Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two history degrees and have taught social studies for 19 years. I've become a huge fan of non-fiction graphic books and graphic novels the past few years because they draw in reluctant readers in my classroom. But here's the thing about TRINITY: the book is better than a lot of adult works on the subject, and I think it comes down to the riveting pictures and writing style of the author.

TRINITY is impeccably researched and does a splendid job of retelling the story of the Manhattan Project. The author does an especially solid job of presenting the working relationship between General Groves and Dr. Oppenheimer. Furthermore, anybody who is a visual learner will appreciate the simple way the science behind the bomb is presented.

I highly recommend this for high school history teachers, students, and adults who want an outstanding primer on the Manhattan Project. Personally, I can't stand textbooks and would love to see more quality non-fiction graphic books like this one in classrooms.

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot about nuclear physics and the creation of the nuclear bomb, seen countless TV programs about it, and heard so many debates about the necessity of maintaining a nuclear arsenal, the moral arguments for and against … But nothing prepared me for the devastating emotional impact this graphic novel would have on me. You would think that coloured film – in particular those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombs fell – would be more powerful than a book of simple black and white drawings, but not so. There is no suspense – we all know what happened – but panel by panel, page by page, horror is just overwhelming. The worst (most effective) was the drawings of two young boys on their bicycles in Nagasaki when the bomb fell. Very simple drawings, a lot of empty space – but what an impact!
The book starts with a detailed, but also very clear and understandable, explanation of nuclear fission. There is an introduction to the scientists involved with the Manhattan Project, and the main administrative military and political people involved. There is a discussion about why and how the atom bomb was developed, and the moral dilemmas that those involved had to deal with before, during and after the bombs were deployed. No judgements are made about the rights and wrongs of having nuclear weapons, but the book gives so much to think about, and discuss.
This is probably the best book that I have read about the creation of the first nuclear bombs – for its science, history and the social, medical and political sequalae, as well as an extremely powerful vision of the effects of using nuclear weapons.
I rate this book very highly – 5 stars not enough – and would recommend it to everyone. It would be an excellent addition to every school library.

[Laubythesea · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Trinity. Historia gráfica del proyecto Manhattan’ es exactamente lo que promete su título, una novela gráfica donde se resumen los principales acontecimientos en torno al desarrollo de la bomba atómica, los bombardeos sobre Hiroshima y Nagasaki y sus consecuencias.  Una inmersión en la historia que devoras de una sentada, pero que te deja pensando mucho más tiempo.
 
Quien más quien menos todos tenemos nociones de historia contemporánea y nos suenan nombres como “Proyecto Manhattan”, “Trinity” “General Groves”, “Fat Boy”, “Enola Gay” y por supuesto, “Oppenheimer”. Pero… ¿conoces exactamente qué o quién fue cada uno? ¡Tal vez sí! Genial, entonces siguiente pregunta ¿entiendes la parte científica y de física nuclear de las bombas atómicas? Yo aquí ya no levanto la mano. Y es precisamente la capacidad de esta obra de explicar, valiéndose de las ilustraciones, lo complejo de forma relativamente sencilla (hay páginas algo densas… ¡pero no puede ser de otra manera!), una de sus principales virtudes y tengo que decir que he aprendido mucho y me hace recomendarla sea cual sea tu bagaje tanto en historia como en energía nuclear (el mío era inexistente en este punto).
 
Evidente en 150 páginas no se puede profundizar en todo y se le puede recriminar que algunos personajes solo se esbozan o que deja fuera del foco algunos temas, desde luego. Pero creo que hay entender la obra como lo que es, una muy buena aproximación a estos sucesos que marcaron el final de la II Guerra Mundial y el inicio de la Guerra Fría. Además, te das las claves suficientes (incluyendo una bibliografía) para que si quieres, puedas seguir leyendo (y viendo películas) para llegar a lo que no cabía en las páginas de ‘Trinity’.
 
La mayoría de las páginas se sienten como ver un documental, ver la historia de cerca, nos explica como el proyecto Manhattan fue algo más allá de lo científico, donde los intereses políticos y lo militar tuvieron mucha presencia. Pero, en el último tramo, hay un enorme cambio hacia lo emocional, donde los hechos hablan por sí solos y que duele aún por el contraste entre lo frío que es ver algo en un laboratorio y el horror que supone lanzar una bomba atómica sobre ciudades, arrasándolas completamente. De diez como lo refleja Fetter-Vorm, no os digo más tenéis que verlo con vuestros propios ojos.
 
En las últimas páginas y en el epílogo, se plantean ya no solo sucesos, sino que estos van acompañados de preguntas con mucho de filosófico y moral al tiempo que vemos el “después” a los científicos que participaron en el desarrollo de la bomba y el impacto en la sociedad estadounidense.  
 
Una lectura muy oportuna para este año que hemos tenido a Oppenheimer hasta en la sopa, una perfecta introducción al “padre de la bomba atómica” y a uno de los proyectos científicos que cambiaron la historia del mundo. Genial para leerla ahora y en cualquier momento, pero diré que ¡me hubiera encantado tenerla a mano cuando estudié la IIGM!

[Tom LA · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of non-fiction graphic novels, I’m going to give this book 5 stars, because of how well it is written and conceived. The art is not exceptionally good, especially when it comes to people, but the page-structure-ideas and the overall narration are extremely well crafted and organized.

I loved the fact that the author devoted a significant amount of pages to some basic explanations of nuclear physics, that were clear and made easier to follow thanks to the clever visuals he employed.

“Trinity” was published in 2012, 6 years after the book about Oppenheimer “American Prometheus” was published, and 10 years before the magnificent film “Oppenheimer” was produced.

It’s a topic of enormous importance for our present and future history, so the more authors bring it to people’s feeble attention, the better.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The scientific explanations and a good portion of the history behind the creation of the atomic bomb are ingeniously rendered in graphic form. This is what earned it at least 3 stars. However, it sadly takes a turn into the worst kind of repetition of official government propaganda lines when it deals with Truman, Byrnes, and the decision to drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fetter-Vorm has military planners, for example, choose Hiroshima because it is a "military target". Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be more of a damned lie. There are texts and frames depicting the "negotiations" between the world power, including Japanese and Americans, that are about as realistic and historical as an issue of Superman, where the Japanese are shown to reject all peace overtures until after the dropping of the bombs. This is a despicable misrepresentation. The Japanese leadership had been trying to surrender for some time, but Truman and Byrnes wanted to send their message to Stalin. Fetter-Vorm mentions this as a strategic consideration, but he still pumps up the lie (that wasn't believed by Eisenhower or Marshall and many other top military commanders) that as many as a million US soldiers would have died taking the main islands in Japan. He also fails to mention any kind of number for the casualties in either Hiroshima or Nagasaki, which is the most immoral kind of lie through omission that is especially troubling with Fetter-Vorm's usual attention to minute details.

I leave you with an analysis of the historical documents surrounding the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki from one of the twentieth-century's greatest historians.

The bombing of Japanese cities continued the strategy of saturation bombing to destroy civilian morale; one nighttime fire-bombing of Tokyo took 80,000 lives. And then, on August 6, 1945, came the lone American plane in the sky over Hiroshima, dropping the first atomic bomb, leaving perhaps 100,000 Japanese dead, and tens of thousands more slowly dying from radiation poisoning. Twelve U.S. navy fliers in the Hiroshima city jail were killed in the bombing, a fact that the U.S. government has never officially acknowledged, according to historian Martin Sherwin (A World Destroyed). Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, with perhaps 50,000 killed.

The justification for these atrocities was that this would end the war quickly, making unnecessary an invasion of Japan. Such an invasion would cost a huge number of lives, the government said-a million, according to Secretary of State Byrnes; half a million, Truman claimed was the figure given him by General George Marshall. (When the papers of the Manhattan Project-the project to build the atom bomb- were released years later, they showed that Marshall urged a warning to the Japanese about the bomb, so people could be removed and only military targets hit.) These estimates of invasion losses were not realistic, and seem to have been pulled out of the air to justify bombings which, as their effects became known, horrified more and more people. Japan, by August 1945, was in desperate shape and ready to surrender. New York Times military analyst Hanson Baldwin wrote, shortly after the war:

The enemy, in a military sense, was in a hopeless strategic position by the time the Potsdam demand for unconditional surrender was made on July 26.
Such then, was the situation when we wiped out Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Need we have done it? No one can, of course, be positive, but the answer is almost certainly negative.

The United States Strategic Bombing Survey, set up by the War Department in 1944 to study the results of aerial attacks in the war, interviewed hundreds of Japanese civilian and military leaders after Japan surrendered, and reported just after the war:

Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey's opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated.
But could American leaders have known this in August 1945? The answer is, clearly, yes. The Japanese code had been broken, and Japan's messages were being intercepted. It was known the Japanese had instructed their ambassador in Moscow to work on peace negotiations with the Allies. Japanese leaders had begun talking of surrender a year before this, and the Emperor himself had begun to suggest, in June 1945, that alternatives to fighting to the end be considered. On July 13, Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo wired his ambassador in Moscow: "Unconditional surrender is the only obstacle to peace.. .." Martin Sherwin, after an exhaustive study of the relevant historical documents, concludes: "Having broken the Japanese code before the war, American Intelligence was able to-and did-relay this message to the President, but it had no effect whatever on efforts to bring the war to a conclusion."

If only the Americans had not insisted on unconditional surrender- that is, if they were willing to accept one condition to the surrender, that the Emperor, a holy figure to the Japanese, remain in place-the Japanese would have agreed to stop the war.

Why did the United States not take that small step to save both American and Japanese lives? Was it because too much money and effort had been invested in the atomic bomb not to drop it? General Leslie Groves, head of the Manhattan Project, described Truman as a man on a toboggan, the momentum too great to stop it. Or was it, as British scientist P. M. S. Blackett suggested (Fear, War, and the Bomb), that the United States was anxious to drop the bomb before the Russians entered the war against Japan?

The Russians had secretly agreed (they were officially not at war with Japan) they would come into the war ninety days after the end of the European war. That turned out to be May 8, and so, on August 8, the Russians were due to declare war on Japan, But by then the big bomb had been dropped, and the next day a second one would be dropped on Nagasaki; the Japanese would surrender to the United States, not the Russians, and the United States would be the occupier of postwar Japan. In other words, Blackett says, the dropping of the bomb was "the first major operation of the cold diplomatic war with Russia.. .." Blackett is supported by American historian Gar Alperovitz (Atomic Diplomacy), who notes a diary entry for July 28, 1945, by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, describing Secretary of State James F. Byrnes as "most anxious to get the Japanese affair over with before the Russians got in."

Truman had said, "The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians." It was a preposterous statement. Those 100,000 killed in Hiroshima were almost all civilians. The U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey said in its official report: "Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen as targets because of their concentration of activities and population."

The dropping of the second bomb on Nagasaki seems to have been scheduled in advance, and no one has ever been able to explain why it was dropped. Was it because this was a plutonium bomb whereas the Hiroshima bomb was a uranium bomb? Were the dead and irradiated of Nagasaki victims of a scientific experiment? Martin Shenvin says that among the Nagasaki dead were probably American prisoners of war. He notes a message of July 31 from Headquarters, U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces, Guam, to the War Department:

Reports prisoner of war sources, not verified by photos, give location of Allied prisoner of war camp one mile north of center of city of Nagasaki. Does this influence the choice of this target for initial Centerboard operation? Request immediate reply.
The reply: "Targets previously assigned for Centerboard remain unchanged."

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defco...

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent and well-researched primer on nuclear fission and how an atomic bomb works, with attached history of its origins. 

Most of the history presented is accurate, but I do have a few quibbles with the author presenting opinions or interpretations of his own as fact. 

Examples of the author's assertions:

Implying that Truman had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using the bomb, to get the Japanese to surrender, and to keep Russia at bay. My understanding is that those were just extra benefits. He *wanted* to drop those bombs from the get go, and he never wavered. He never once thought about not dropping them, nor did he ever express any remorse or guilt about having used them. This was not a decision of carefully weighed pros and cons. He may have tried to write about it thoughtfully, but there is evidence of his behavior that belies those carefully presented reflections, as evidenced by the author himself, when Oppenheimer visits Truman at the White House.

Saying that ". . . when the American military first learned that the atomic bomb was possible, they figured it was just a bigger version of the bombs that they were using." Yeah, that ignorance seems feigned at best. Military leaders may have expressed this sentiment, but that doesn't mean it was actually what they thought. I think that they had a pretty good idea that this was going to be radically different. 

The author gets it right when he describes the motivating factors driving almost everyone else, but these two examples stand out, to me.

Also, while the tone is one of abject horror at the devastating consequences of these weapons, and of war in general, there is nothing specific about the effects of radiation from nuclear tests, on the inhabitants of the area closest to the Los Alamos lab. The incidence of cancer was off the charts for those residents, especially children. The author makes it clear that none of the old test sites or enrichment sites are safe, but the Los Alamos residents, particularly the Indigenous inhabitants, truly suffered and would merit at least a passing mention, in my view. 

This is a hard book to rate, with so much good information, presented in a way that is easy to understand, but also with some details and missing pieces that drove me a bit mad.

I think on the whole, it is a good book with a few caveats.

[Tobey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both graphic novels and non fiction books are not my jam so I chose this to fulfill a PopSugar prompt for a book read in a different format than you usually read.

What a beautifully illustrated novel about a weapon of mass destruction. It certainly gives you the nuts and bolts behind the building of the atomic bomb and it also depicts the consequences from it. I've always had a weird fear of the mushroom cloud so in an odd way, this was a good fit for me to read, tough not something I'd want to read about everyday.

[Noe herbookss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta novela gráfica me ha parecido impresionante.

Seguro que habéis oído hablar acerca de la bomba atómica y del famoso ataque a Hiroshima y Nagasaki, ¿verdad? ¿Pero sabéis cómo se gestó todo, cómo se llegó hasta ese punto, cómo y quién descubrió la fórmula para conseguir una explosión de tal envergadura? Pues todo eso y mucho más se desgrana en "Trinity", de una forma amena y a la vez exhaustiva nos muestra el proceso del Proyecto Manhattan, desde donde se investigaron y desarrollaron las primeras armas nucleares.

Además de la parte histórica, en la que nos presenta a Robert Oppenheimer (físico considerado como el padre de la bomba atómica) y el contexto de la situación política durante la II Guerra Mundial y al terminar esta, también describe aspectos más técnicos sobre física, los experimentos, las teorías y estudios que se llevaron a cabo hasta dar con la clave de lo que podría llegar a ser la mayor arma explosiva hasta el momento. Para mí, que no tenía ni idea de física ni del tema en general, se me ha hecho totalmente entendible porque lo explica de forma didáctica y se hace muy interesante.

Las ilustraciones complementan a la perfección el texto, transmiten perfectamente cada etapa, y el conjunto es brutal. Hace reflexionar, enseña y emociona, creo que es muy completa. Por algo ha sido seleccionada como una de las diez mejores novelas gráficas de no ficción por la Asociación de bibliotecas de USA. Como he dicho al principio es impresionante.

[El Convincente · Rating 4 out of 5]

159 páginas que se leen de un tirón. Excelente como introducción al tema de la bomba atómica. Eso sí: insuficiente para quien quiera profundizar o busque algo más "novelizado".

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple enough for me to understand the basics and the timeline. It was glossed over a lot of the long term repercussion at the end. I didn't care for the artwork. I found it too rough and sketch-like.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never read a graphic story/novel before, so I decided to start with a historical event I know well in order to see if this really is a format I could appreciate and learn from. I liked it more than I expected, though it did take me several tries to really get into it. Much to my surprise, I found that the graphic format required even more focus than usual; this was nothing at all like skimming the comics section. I have a lot more respect for the medium now. As far as the storytelling itself went, I felt that the author did as good of a job as one can do with limited text and little more than 100 pages. I was pleased to see that women's contributions to the Manhattan Project were pointed out, at least in part, and that the horrifying effects of the bombs and their power were told with such emotional intensity. (There is a vignette at the end featuring two boys that makes the entire reading experience worthwhile.) There was a solid mix of politics, physics, and psychology. All in all, a pretty good introduction to the format for a newbie. And an outstanding overview of the Manhattan Project for students who don't need every little detail.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good, if quick, history of the development of the atomic bomb. I don't have much in the way of prior knowledge here, and you don't really need it. There are a few names that are casually thrown out without much, if any, explanation, but those moments were few and far between. The graphic format really works well with the scientific explanations for how and why the bomb works.

[Farhana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good graphical history from the discovery of atoms to the first nuclear bomb (y)

[Senga · Rating 4 out of 5]

To drugi komiks o historii powstania i użycia bomby atomowej, który przeczytałam - pierwszym była monumentalna „Bomba” Rodiera, Alcante i Bollée wydana przez Kulturę Gniewu. „Bomba” jest dziełem narysowanym z artystowskim zacięciem, kadry są wymowne, oddziałują też kolorem. Komiks ma reporterski sznyt, skupia się na postawach uczestników wydarzeń, scenariusz jest zdecydowanie fabularny, są też momenty, w których twórcy puszczali wodze fantazji. „Trinity”, różni się od poprzedniczki - nie tylko objętością.

Komiksowy debiut Copernicus Centre Press , bardzo dobrze wpisuje się w charakter wydawnictwa. Jest to zdecydowanie pozycja popularno-naukowa. Jonathan Fetter-Vorm skupia się na dostarczeniu czytelniczce wiedzy, która dzięki graficznej formie przekazana jest w przystępny sposób. Informacje zawarte w komiksie czerpią z różnych dziedzin nauki, również z chemii i fizyki kwantowej, co pozwala nie tylko poznać kulisy samego Projektu Manhattan, ale też zrozumieć jak skonstruowana jest bomba i z jakimi wyzwaniami mierzyli się naukowcy badający atom. Autor podkreśla w posłowiu, że jego celem było jak najwierniej oddać fakty, dlatego nawet wypowiedzi bohaterów oparte są na słowach, które rzeczywiście padły z ich ust. Sama konstrukcja tomu jest raczej publicystyczna, więcej tu ramek z narracją odautorską niż dymków dialogowych. Pomimo swojego dokumentalnego charakteru, w „Trinity” nie zabrakło wymiaru etycznego i komentarza krytycznego dotyczącego amerykańskiej polityki i samej idei broni nuklearnej. Chociaż całość narysowana jest prostą czarną kreską i tu znajdziemy sceny, które chwytają za gardło.

„Bomba” i „Trinity” to komiksy, które się uzupełniają, dlatego spokojnie można przeczytać je oba, bez poczucia straconego czasu. Sam temat jest zresztą na tyle ciekawy i złożony, że aby dokładnie go zgłębić na pewno warto sięgać po różnorodne pozycje. U mnie w kolejce czeka już „Hiroszima” Johna Herseya, żeby spojrzeć na wszystko z tej drugiej strony.
Jedno jest pewne - im więcej na ten temat czytam, tym głośniej w mojej głowie brzmi refren: I’m afraid of Americans…

Komiks dostałam w prezencie od wydawnictwa.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part science textbook and part historical documentary. The book is well researched overview of the science of building the first Atomic bomb and the historical circumstances that led to building it. The Manhattan project was started in the deserts of New Mexico (Los Alamos) and led by General Groves (Administration) and Robert Oppenheimer (Science).

The artwork is pretty good though not extraordinary but the given the scientific context it is quite dense with information (especially about nuclear physics). I wish the author had spent some more time dwelling on the personalities of the scientists that made the nuclear bomb. Many of them are mentioned in passing with no details of their contributions or personalities. The only notable exception to this is Robert Oppenheimer and General Groves. The author admits as such in the afterword. It is a good read for someone who is interested in the history and science of making the atomic bomb.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the library on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, finished by the anniversary of bombing of Nagasaki. Good physics and history, though it repeats propaganda.

The beginning is about fission, bits of history and science. After that the considerations, threats, and after Pearl Harbor day, the US crash course. Portrays the individuals briefly, but this is a graphic novel. Towards the end, the false narrative of weighing the decision about the attacks, though this is surrounded by the accurate statistics on firebombing Japanese cities and the true motivation of the early Cold war.

The art style is sparse, though highly effective. Science is explained well, and the artist portrays both the emotions of the people and the horrors of radiation in an excellent fashion. This is Fetter-Vorm's first book, and it was selected by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Teens in 2013. I look forward to reading Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight in the near future.

[Tatyana Naumova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Слушайте, после "Босоногого Тэна" что-то пытаться нарисовать по поводу жертв радиации - это слабо. А до бомбардировки отличная книга

[Immigration Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best overview we never learned in school about the design, development, use, and long lasting impact of the Atomic Bomb, and the development of the Hydrogen Bomb.

It's all in here, in the most brief and thorough 154 page summary: Oppenheimer; The Manhattan Project; The Trinity Test; Little Boy; Fat Man; Hiroshima; Nagasaki; Dropping bombs targeting Japan to end WWII and to put the Soviet Union on Notice to stay the hell OUT of America's sphere of influence in Asia; Teller; The Hydrogen Bomb; The Age of ICBMs, and M.A.D. . . . and the ethics of it all . . . Did science ("could an atomic bomb be created?") outpace the possible obliteration of all mankind ("should the atomic bomb have ever been created?")

Highly recommend! This is the perfect "Intro 101 Class" on the "Atomic Age, Warfare & Ethics," a class for which I've never been able to register because I simply could not find one. Until now.

[Meepelous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original 2015 Review ---
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!

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trinity is a terrifically informative history of the Manhattan Project, as well as a detailed introduction into the world of fission and an account of the cost of atomic warfare. It's really got everything. Science, thrills, pathos, the grim reality of our atomic future. The book is far more riveting than you'd expect - Jonathan Fetter-Vorm switches gracefully between scientific dissertations and fast-paced narrative to keep the reader engaged.

The art is solid, though it can sometimes be hard to follow the path of the text across the page. Between this book and Moonbound, Jonathan Fetter-Vorm is rapidly becoming my go-to source for information about mid-century scientific achievements. I'll be picking up whatever topic he tackles next.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Inspired" by a breakfast with friends conversation, i decided to read this one now. I'm glad i read it.

I'm tempted to give Barefoot Gen another shot. And i'm tempted to read at least a couple books from Fetter-Vorm's lists of source material and further reading.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! Black-&-white drawings. An overview of the Manhattan Project (reminding readers of the roles of Oak Ridge, Univ of Chicago, UC-Berkeley, and Hanford), the science, the bomb drops on Japan, and the Cold War bomb testing. Only quibble is that the otherwise solid reading list at the back of the book doesn't cite Jennet Conant's excellent Los Alamos history, 109 East Palace.