Final Warning: The Legacy of Chernobyl

Gale is the UCLA physician who led the international medical team that treated victims of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. His first-person recreation of the rescue effort, told with an assist from Hauser (The Execution of Charles Horman), is disappointing. What might have been a moving account of heroism and tragedy is submerged in personal trivia and dull writing. There is little here that has not been covered in the news media, and the close-ups of Gorbachev, Shultz and Armand Hammer (who helped persuade the Soviets to accept medical relief) are of mild interest. The authors' recommendations include better training of nuclear personnel, a national program to respond to disasters in the U.S. and building nuclear plants away from dense population centers. Their proposed reforms are sketchy and anticlimactic. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; author tour. (April)