* Debut, Life’s Work by the Washington Post’s Dean of the National Security Press Corps: Walter Pincus spent forty years at the Washington Post, writing on topics from nuclear weapons to politics. He has won a Pulitzer Prize, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award, and the 2010 Arthur Ross Award from the American Academy for Diplomacy.

* A Dark Secret in American Nuclear History: The sixty-plus nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, from 1946 to 1958, exposed an entire people and their environment to radioactive fallout-and the fallout was kept from public view by Washington power brokers.

* Includes the Largest Thermonuclear Detonation in American History: A play-by-play of the execution and deadly consequences of the 1954 Castle Bravo test on Bikini Atoll, which was 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

* The Human Story of America’s Nuclear Testing Program: John Anjain, a local Marshallese magistrate who loses more than most; to the crew of the Japanese fishing boat the Lucky Dragon exposed to radiation; to Dr. Robert Conard, a Navy physician who realized the dangers facing the islanders and attempted to help them; to the Washington power brokers trying to keep the fallout from public view.

* Exposes the Government’s Apathy Toward a Native People: In a nation with a history of relocating and destroying Native people, the story of the Marshall Islanders is rarely mentioned. This book puts it in its rightful place within this horrible legacy.

* Comedian Bob Hope, Summarizing the Unconcerned American Attitude in 1947: As soon as the war ended, we located the one spot on earth that hadn’t been touched by war and blew it to hell.

* The Most Dangerous Long-Term Effects: The remaining radioactive materials from U.S. nuclear tests in the northern Marshall Islands in the 1950s still far exceed those from the July 1986 nuclear power accident at Chernobyl, according to a study published in July 2019, in the Proceedings of the National Academies Sciences.

* Multi-Layered Narrative History: Combines science, political history, military history, the media, human interest, and captivating storytelling.

* A Cautionary Tale: Author portrays the Marshallese and the Japanese fisherman as symbols of what would be the unthinkable medical results should nuclear weapons ever again be used. Blown to Hell must serve as a cautionary tale should nuclear weapons ever hit today’s cities, towns, or agricultural areas.

* 25 black-and-white photos