Sociologist Lindsey Freeman grew up in Oak Ridge. As she got older, she began to wonder how her city told its own story. She noticed, for instance, that local museums exalted the people and ideas that shaped atomic warfare, but paid little attention to nuclear opposition. Her story of Oak Ridge and its struggle to present its unique history is the subject of a new book, Longing for the Bomb: Oak Ridge and Atomic Nostalgia.
In this interview with WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth, Freeman talks about Oak Ridge's origins, how East Tennesseans felt about the new population wave, and how the city is still coming to terms with its past and present.
Want to know more about the book? Check out this review from the website Chapter 16, a project of Humanities Tennessee.