“Anyone who wants to understand why more than one million Americans have died of COVID should read this brilliant book. It dramatically describes a titanic clash between world-class science, dishonest activists and celebrities, amoral politicians, and the federal bureaucracy.”
Robert Birgeneau, former Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley
“This true story illustrates how science (and society) lose out when misdirected activism mixes with misguided politics. If you think that social media is necessary for misinformation to win the day, think again.”
Marcia McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences
“The Leak is a fascinating first-hand account—and ominous warning—of how an innocuous event can be exploited by politicians, environmental activists, and celebrities to frighten the public and kill science.”
Neal Lane, Science Advisor to President Bill Clinton
“I found The Leak gripping reading—a sober reminder of how badly some government decisions can go.”
Cherry Murray, Professor of Physics, University of Arizona
“The Leak recounts popular outrage, political intrigue, science misinformation, abused officials, and more. This great read reveals events that presaged the contested boundaries of science and civil society today.”
S. James Gates, Jr., 2021 American Physical Society President; Clark Leadership Chair in Science, University of Maryland
“The success of our national laboratories relies on trust between the public, politicians, government agencies, scientists and the laboratories. The authors carefully document how 'the leak' and its aftermath undermined that delicate partnership.”
Barry C. Barish, Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics, Emeritus, Caltech; 2017 Nobel Laureate
“This is an extraordinary book describing the precarious relations of science, politics, media, and the public.”
Alan Schriesheim, former director, Argonne National Laboratory
“A fascinating, thought-provoking, and relevant study given the continuing ill-informed attacks on science and the resultant resistance to the use of science in determining public policy.”
Midwest Book Review
"Seven Nobel prizes have been awarded for work at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Yet a leak of radioactive water from the facility turned its 50th anniversary in 1997 into a year of “chaos rather than celebration”, write philosopher of science Robert Crease — author of a history of the lab — and former Brookhaven physicist Peter Bond. Although the incident posed no health hazard, according to federal, state and local officials, it sparked a “firestorm” of activism and politics, captured in this vivid first-hand account."
Nature
