the true story

Though ATOMIC FAMILY is a work of fiction, the story is heavily inspired by real events and people. My grandfather—who died in 1976, nearly twenty years before I was born—was a chief agronomist, responsible for disposing nuclear waste at the Savannah River Plant (SRP). At the time, this meant burying irradiated materials in the ground. This also meant his work was top secret: his wife and son knew nothing about his other life. These are just some of the resources that helped me write the novel.

health physics

My grandfather, Henry Horton, was an agronomist working in the Health Physics Department at the Savannah River Plant outside Aiken, South Carolina.

the bomb plant

The Savannah River Plant was very top secret. This was at the height of the Cold War, and the facility would be used to create materials for the hydrogen bomb.

the nuclear graveyard

My grandfather is pictured here with his team as they dispose of nuclear materials at SRP.

“Secrecy was absolute. You couldn’t even tell your wife what you did.”

— Doug Pardue

i never met the man behind the book.

My grandparents had a difficult marriage. Henry was born and raised in poverty, but worked his way through college and ROTC — pausing to serve in the navy during the war — and earned a PhD. My grandmother had a difficult childhood due to family tensions, and she worked at the IRS until she stayed at home with my father.

de-classified data

In order to create a plot around the atomic facility, I used my grandfather’s declassified articles from the Health Physics department. He specifically studied the radioactive seepage of waste into the environment, which becomes what Dean studies in ATOMIC FAMILY. Health Physicists would have had the power (theoretically) to halt any projects they deemed beyond the safety standard of contamination. Even so, nuclear waste was buried in unlined dirt trenches.

figure 1

“Radioactivity in vegetation increased significantly…radioactivity in the atmosphere also increased…Measurements revealed significant increases in dosage rate, in particulate contamination of the atmosphere, in particulate fallout, and in rain water contamination.” (1954)

figure 2

“Studies at the Savannah River Plant have shown that tritium is present in the liquid waste from uranium separations facilities.” (1959)

figure 3

“Total containment of radioactive waste is the basic principle of guiding operations at the Savannah River Plant…Radioactive waste management at SRP is accomplished through decontamination, storage, dispersion, and environmental monitoring.” (1961)

research books

If you’re interested in the history of the Savannah River Plant, this is the book to turn to. This resource is full of primary source material and was pivotal in helping me understand the scientific aspects to the novel.

The Savannah River Site at Fifty was one of the most important resources in my research. It documents how Aiken came to be the site for the plant and charts how the plant affected the town as a whole.

This powerful journalistic work by Amy Swerdlow changed the trajectory of my novel and showed me how mothers and housewives used their domestic roles in the 1960s (pre-second wave feminism) to advocate for policy change.

powerful journalism

Read the article "Deadly legacy" by doug pardue

“The Savannah River Site is a nuclear site located in Aiken, South Carolina. This site houses some of the world's nuclear waste including massive amounts of weapons grade plutonium. Since the site contains such dangerous materials it should be highly protected. This video explores the difficulties in guarding the Savannah River Site as well as the deficiencies of the company hired to protect the substances.”

“In 1950 the residents of Ellenton, South Carolina were displaced from their homes by the federal government. Their land would be used to construct a plant to produce materials for the H-bomb. Creative Writing MFA Project for George Mason University. Directed by Sonja Curry-Johnson.”