Read "Midnight in Chernobyl"

You really should read this book. It’s not a happy tale, although there are moments of pure heroism.

It tells the story of the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen, when a Russian nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986. I can vividly remember seeing news footage of helicopters swarming over the doomed reactor building, along with reports that everything was under control. It was not, and this book tells why and how. The level of detail, and the access to those directly involved, is hugely impressive.

The book serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen if you let economics and political expediency ride roughshod over safety. It has eerie parallels with some recent events. Read it.