Suspenseful and intriguing...Explores an aspect of the Manhattan Project long shrouded in secrecy, bringing to light an important chapter of World War II history.

America's fight for freedom and dignity across the globe is sharply contrasted with blatant racism and injustice at home. Readers who enjoyed Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls will appreciate this glimpse into the beliefs and attitudes that shaped America during World War II.

Beard has taken a project of momentous impact and injected a human element into it...This is approachable, intelligent, and highly satisfying historical fiction.

A fascinating and compelling novel about a little known piece of WWII history.

Both page-turning and illuminating...Brings to life an eerie piece of world history.

Gives a human dimension to the lesser-known true-life events that took place in Oak Ridge, Tenn., during World War II...Beard's fascinating narrative brings to life four people with different outlooks and dreams whose fates memorably intertwine.

An intriguing novel that is accessible and easy to read with enough suspense and romance to hold any reader's interest. While the focus of the story is on a young and curious woman's adventure, the history Beard unearthed, especially concerning the African Americans working on the periphery of the project, presents a fascinating glimpse into the war.

Compelling...Fans of historical fiction will devour this complex and human look at the people involved in the creation of the atomic bomb. A fascinating look at an underexplored chapter of American history.

In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an un-marked bus, destined for a city that doesn’t officially exist: Oak Ridge, Tennessee—a town of trailers and segregated houses, twenty-four-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young women operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. 

June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands
the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her share-cropper roots. 

Across town, African American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government’s plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. 

When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself.