The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: The Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb – By The People Who Were There

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE ‘MASTERPIECE’ COMPLETE ORAL HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC BOMB – BY A PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST

‘Magisterial…A stunning account that brings to the fore the nuclear saga’s surreal combination of ingenuity, fate, and terror.’ -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘Comprehensive and engrossing…Excellent oral history.’ -Kirkus Reviews

From the New York Times bestselling author of When the Sea Came Alive and The Only Plane in the Sky, a sweeping and comprehensive oral history of the atomic bomb’s creation and deployment, marking the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

April 12, 1945. Less than three months into his vice presidency, Harry Truman is catapulted into the Oval Office following the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As he recites the oath, he learns a chilling secret known only to a select few: the United States is on the verge of deploying a weapon of unimaginable power. This weapon could end the war but also herald a new age of global fear and uncertainty.

Drawing from over twenty-five oral history archives across the US, Japan, and Europe, Graff has masterfully blended the memories and perspectives from key figures like Harry Truman and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the crews of the B-29 bombers, Enola Gay and Bock’s Car, the rescuers who bravely faced the destruction, and the haunting stories of those at ground zero in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including the experiences of the hibakusha – the ‘bomb-affected people’.

Enriched by memoirs, diaries, letters, official documents, and news reports, this is an immersive and deeply human account of the Manhattan Project through the end of World War II and the dawning of the Cold War, offering a vivid, multi-dimensional view of events that reshaped the world forever.

*New York Times #7 on the Hardcover Non-Fiction Chart, week of August 25th, 2025.