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CONTACT:
Jill Hendrix
Fiction Addiction
864-675-0540
info@fiction-addiction.com
http://www.fiction-addiction.com
Book Your Lunch with North Carolina Author and Journalist Denise Kiernan
 Greenville, SC, April 9, 2013 - Book Your Lunch with North Carolina author and journalist Denise Kiernan on Friday, May 10th, 2013 at City Range. Tickets are $25 per person. Tickets must be purchased in advance at http://www.bookyourlunch.com or by calling Fiction Addiction at 864-675-0540.
Denise Kiernan explores the mysteries and inner workings of the Manhattan Project through the unique experiences of half a dozen young women who worked in a variety of roles at Oak Ridge, TN -- from secretaries, statisticians and nurses to janitorial staff, calutron cubicle operators and chemists -- in her new book, The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (Touchstone, hardcover, $27.00).
Imagine boarding a bus or a train knowing that your destination was a total mystery. The only thing you've been told is that your work there will help end World War II, and that everything will be taken care of for you. This was the case for thousands of young women who were recruited by the U.S. government in 1943 to serve the top-secret Manhattan Project. They came from all across the East Coast and the South, from Alabama to Western Pennsylvania, from New Jersey to tiny towns like Clinton, Tennessee. It turned out their destination was "Site X", or Oak Ridge, TN, a secret city that appeared on no maps. The individuals who worked there, though they had no idea at the time, were enriching uranium for the first atomic bomb used in combat.
Kiernan shares the never-before-told, true story of these remarkable, hardworking, determined young women and the crucial role they played in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history. For many women, working in Oak Ridge was their first taste of independence, their first time away from home. Some had just finished high school, others had college degrees, but all were bound together by a shared spirit of survival, purpose, and sisterhood.
Starting in 1942, Oak Ridge was transformed almost overnight from a ramshackle mud-pit in the southern Appalachians to a bustling secret city of 75,000 people by 1945. Gates and security fencing encircled the town and inside there were watchtowers, armed guards, undercover informants and propaganda to remind workers "What you do here, What you see here, What you hear here, please let it stay here." Workers were given only the absolute minimum information necessary to perform their jobs, nothing more. And some of those who talked to others about even the most innocuous details of their work, might find themselves quickly out of a job and dismissed from the city, sometimes overnight.
Yet, despite the shroud of secrecy, workers in Oak Ridge kept themselves busy with Saturday night dances on the Townsite's tennis courts, movies, sports teams and every kind of club imaginable. And with the surplus of handsome army men, scientists and doctors, romance blossomed in Oak Ridge and many single girls soon became married women.
Kiernan's deeply researched portrait of these unsung World War II workers is based on interviews with dozens of surviving women and other Oak Ridge residents. The book also includes a 16-page photo insert with fascinating, evocative photos of daily life in Oak Ridge from Ed Westcott, the official U.S. Government photographer during World War II. As this beautifully told, suspenseful story unfolds, readers slowly start to understand the magnitude and implications of the Manhattan Project. When the atomic bomb known as "Little Boy" detonated above Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the women realized for the first time the work being done in Oak Ridge, they experienced a varied, complex range of emotions.
Like Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Kiernan's The Girls of Atomic City is history and science made fresh and vibrant -- ensuring that the experiences and contributions of these astounding women will never be forgotten.
About the author:
 | | Denise Kiernan |
Denise Kiernan is also the author of Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence, Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The U.S. Constitution, and Stuff Every American Should Know. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Discover, Ms., Reader's Digest and other national publications. She lives in North Carolina with her husband.
In her own words:
I am a writer and producer. I write books and scripts of my own, I ghost write, I write for adults and I write for kids, occasionally with my husband, author Joseph D'Agnese. I started out in journalism and have covered everything from women's issues, sports and history to food, travel and education in places like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Saveur, Discover, Ms., Reader's Digest, and others. I worked as head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and have produced for ESPN, MSNBC and a variety of independent productions.
There are a lot of other projects in various stages of development, but hey -- a little mystery goes a long way.
If you cannot make the event, you can reserve a personalized copy of The Girls of Atomic City or any of the author's other books by contacting Fiction Addiction in advance at 864-675-0540 or at info@fiction-addiction.com.
ABOUT FICTION ADDICTION
Fiction Addiction is a local, woman-owned, independent bookstore established in 2001. The store carries a mixture of new and used fiction and nonfiction, including children's books, as well as gift items. We have recently moved to a new location at 1175 Woods Crossing Road (in the shopping center with Five Guys and Fried Green Tomatoes). For more information, visit our website at http://www.fiction-addiction.com or call us at 864-675-0540.
 ABOUT BOOK YOUR LUNCH
The Book Your Lunch author event program was launched in September 2009, and is a new way to bring authors and readers together -- right here in Greenville. This luncheon series provides the ultimate food for thought with a wide range of authors -- from mystery writers, to award-winning regional novelists to nonfiction and cookbook authors. Jill Hendrix, the owner of Fiction Addiction, founded the event program and is responsible for booking the authors. For more information about Book Your Lunch, please visit our website at http://www.bookyourlunch.com.
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