What do you think?
Rate this book
The Uranium Club: Unearthing the Lost Relics of the Nazi Nuclear Program
“Much as Marcel Proust spun out a lifetime of memories from the taste of a madeleine, The Uranium Club spins out the history of Nazi Germany’s failed World War II atomic-bomb project by tracing the whereabouts of a small, blackened cube of Nazi uranium. It’s a riveting tale of competing German ambitions and arrogant mistakes, a nonfiction thriller tracking teams of American scientists as they race to prevent Hitler from beating the United States to the atomic bomb.” — Richard Rhodes , author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Tim Koeth peered into the crumpled brown paper lunch bag; inside was a surprisingly heavy black metal cube.
He recognized the mysterious object instantly—he had one just like it sitting on his desk at home. It was uranium metal, taken from the nuclear reactor that Nazi scientists had tried—and failed—to build at the end of World War II. This unexpected gift, wrapped in a piece of paper inscribed with a few cryptic but crucial lines, would launch Koeth, a nuclear physicist and professor, and his colleague Miriam Hiebert, a cultural heritage scientist, on an odyssey to trace the tale of these cubes—two of the original 664 on which the Third Reich had pinned their nuclear ambitions.
Part treasure hunt, part historical narrative, The Uranium Club winds its way through the back doors of World War II and Manhattan Project histories to recount the contributions of the men and women at the forefront of the race for nuclear power. From Werner Heisenberg and Germany’s nuclear program to the Curies, the first family of nuclear physics, to the Allied Alsos Mission’s infiltration of Germany to capture Nazi science to the renegade geologists of Murray Hill scouring the globe for uranium, the cubes are lodestars that illuminate a little-known—and hugely consequential—chapter of history.
The cubes are physical testimony to the stories of the German failure, and the successful American program that launched the world into the modern nuclear age, and the lessons for modern science that the contrast in these two programs has to offer.
Tim Koeth peered into the crumpled brown paper lunch bag; inside was a surprisingly heavy black metal cube.
He recognized the mysterious object instantly—he had one just like it sitting on his desk at home. It was uranium metal, taken from the nuclear reactor that Nazi scientists had tried—and failed—to build at the end of World War II. This unexpected gift, wrapped in a piece of paper inscribed with a few cryptic but crucial lines, would launch Koeth, a nuclear physicist and professor, and his colleague Miriam Hiebert, a cultural heritage scientist, on an odyssey to trace the tale of these cubes—two of the original 664 on which the Third Reich had pinned their nuclear ambitions.
Part treasure hunt, part historical narrative, The Uranium Club winds its way through the back doors of World War II and Manhattan Project histories to recount the contributions of the men and women at the forefront of the race for nuclear power. From Werner Heisenberg and Germany’s nuclear program to the Curies, the first family of nuclear physics, to the Allied Alsos Mission’s infiltration of Germany to capture Nazi science to the renegade geologists of Murray Hill scouring the globe for uranium, the cubes are lodestars that illuminate a little-known—and hugely consequential—chapter of history.
The cubes are physical testimony to the stories of the German failure, and the successful American program that launched the world into the modern nuclear age, and the lessons for modern science that the contrast in these two programs has to offer.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2023
15 people are currently reading
2705 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 4, 2023
*****Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this AMAZING Audiobook! If you love anything Historical then you’re going to enjoy this one. It’s so detailed about the Nazi Nuclear Program. I’m not a stranger to research of this topic but learned a bit more I didn’t know even happened. ☢️*****
September 4, 2023
I highly recommend reading The Bastard Brigade or another book on the Manhattan Project before approaching this book. You will appreciate it more.
The story behind the Nazi nuclear project was as fascinating as I expected, and the reasons for its failures dumber than I expected. The book is a great supplement to an Atomic Age reading list.
The story behind the Nazi nuclear project was as fascinating as I expected, and the reasons for its failures dumber than I expected. The book is a great supplement to an Atomic Age reading list.
February 18, 2024
Really interesting account of both the Nazi nuclear program and the allied efforts to distrupt the program and capture the scientists involved. The German effort to build a nuclear bomb was a subject I always was interested in, and this book explored the scientists involved and what hampered the program.
The only con is that the Epilouge is kinda dragged out to shoehorn in modern day politics
The only con is that the Epilouge is kinda dragged out to shoehorn in modern day politics
July 13, 2023
The Uranium Club is about the beginnings of the ‘atomic age’ and how things shook out in WWII. I picked this book thinking that my husband may enjoy listening to it on a road trip, and he picked another book, so I was stuck doing this one on my own. ;)
I was surprised how absorbable it really was for someone like myself (aka someone that isn’t super interested in history, and felt it to all be very dull during school).
This book is well written, and had enough for myself as an entry level human to the subject matter. If you have any interest in the history of the Atomic Bomb, Uranium, and Radium, this is worth spending time with.
Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I was surprised how absorbable it really was for someone like myself (aka someone that isn’t super interested in history, and felt it to all be very dull during school).
This book is well written, and had enough for myself as an entry level human to the subject matter. If you have any interest in the history of the Atomic Bomb, Uranium, and Radium, this is worth spending time with.
Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
August 16, 2023
This was a creative, well-presented, and entertaining piece of historical research - until the last chapter.
February 4, 2024
This book is a nice primer on the history of uranium being used during WWII. Easy to read for anyone.
A suggested improvement would’ve been a chronological writing as the book jumped around.
Lastly, there was no need to reference climate change, COVID-19, and, covertly, Donald Trump. Those references at the end felt forced and detracted from a fine read.
A suggested improvement would’ve been a chronological writing as the book jumped around.
Lastly, there was no need to reference climate change, COVID-19, and, covertly, Donald Trump. Those references at the end felt forced and detracted from a fine read.
June 11, 2025
I purchased my copy of this book in hardcover from Amazon in August 2023. I wanted to get a copy upon seeing the image of a uranium metal cube on the the book's cover. During WW2, experimenters in Germany working towards creating a nuclear reactor used these cubes as reactor fuel. I have seen one of these German cubes on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque NM in 2022, hence my interest in reading the book. And the book did not disappoint. It traces the parallel histories of the race between US and German scientists during WW2 to exploit nuclear fission for creating a weapon and a power source. The German effort, as it turned out, was undertaken in a piecemeal fashion with little priority or funding, and achieved little progress. Everyone knows how the US effort turned out. But until late in the war, the US scientists and engineers working on the atomic bomb feared Germany was ahead in the race. As the Allies invaded Italy and then France, the Manhattan Project dispatched a team of soldiers and scientists to Europe to track down the German physicists suspected of weapons work to collect the physicists and their nuclear data and materials. It was during this effort that the uranium cube on the book's cover, and several hundred more like it, were collected and brought to the US. The book tells this remarkable story, and traces the fate of the 14 uranium cubes that remain. If you are interested in a book that summarizes the US and German nuclear programs during WW2, this would not be a bad choice. The book resonated with me, especially the descriptions of the German experimental work. In the final chapter the author discusses some current events (climate change, the COVID epidemic) and how denial of science due to ideology has affected the course of these events. The context for this discussion is that in pre-war Germany, Einstein's work on relativity was labelled "Jewish physics" and fell into political disfavor. The author argues that this downplaying of relativity for ideological reasons in Germany was a contributing factor to the meager results of the German bomb program. Some reviewers have criticized the final chapter, but I see it as a valid comparison with today's science deniers and the dangers of science denial for ideological reasons. I'm assuming most of the critical reviewers fall on the side of the ideological divide where climate change is a hoax, hence the comments. I'm glad that nobody reads my reviews, because if they did I'm sure there would be angry comments. Five out of five stars.
July 17, 2023
First, I really liked this book.. It was very well organized the author is a fantastic writer. They kept the book interesting and engaging.
My only issue when they apply "theft" and when they apply "confiscated"???
They have no issues attributing "theft" to the Germans :
“From the mythology of Teutonic ancestry and the alphabet soup of stolen and bastardized runic symbols, the SS developed many of its own pseudoscientific theories. For”
They have no issues attributing "theft" if things go missing in the USA:
“As a memo sent from the HICOG Intelligence Division pointed out, the “material cannot contain more 235 than normal unless stolen in USA.”2”
But any references to the Uranium stolen from Germany is "confiscated" and when project ALSOS members blatantly STEAL it, they are simply collecting souvenirs :
“There are no records indicating the number of cubes transferred from Europe to Murray Hill, and even less information was preserved detailing the masses of uranium metal that were processed by Metal Hydrides. It is impossible to know how many of these artifacts were plucked off the pile in New York or Massachusetts as personal souvenirs.”
They also write:
“The notion that the cubes were stolen scientific objects rather than war material confiscated by the Allied forces echoes the sentiments, apparently unchanged by their internment, of Heisenberg and several of his colleagues that their work was somehow distinct from, and that they themselves were not directly complicit in, the Nazis’ warfare agenda.”
Yes, because when you go to another country, and take things that you did not purchase or trade, you STOLE them. That is sort of the definition of THEFT.
con·fis·cate
take or seize (someone's property) with authority.
theft
the action or crime of stealing.
what German law granted the US the authority to take things from Germany?
My only issue when they apply "theft" and when they apply "confiscated"???
They have no issues attributing "theft" to the Germans :
“From the mythology of Teutonic ancestry and the alphabet soup of stolen and bastardized runic symbols, the SS developed many of its own pseudoscientific theories. For”
They have no issues attributing "theft" if things go missing in the USA:
“As a memo sent from the HICOG Intelligence Division pointed out, the “material cannot contain more 235 than normal unless stolen in USA.”2”
But any references to the Uranium stolen from Germany is "confiscated" and when project ALSOS members blatantly STEAL it, they are simply collecting souvenirs :
“There are no records indicating the number of cubes transferred from Europe to Murray Hill, and even less information was preserved detailing the masses of uranium metal that were processed by Metal Hydrides. It is impossible to know how many of these artifacts were plucked off the pile in New York or Massachusetts as personal souvenirs.”
They also write:
“The notion that the cubes were stolen scientific objects rather than war material confiscated by the Allied forces echoes the sentiments, apparently unchanged by their internment, of Heisenberg and several of his colleagues that their work was somehow distinct from, and that they themselves were not directly complicit in, the Nazis’ warfare agenda.”
Yes, because when you go to another country, and take things that you did not purchase or trade, you STOLE them. That is sort of the definition of THEFT.
con·fis·cate
take or seize (someone's property) with authority.
theft
the action or crime of stealing.
what German law granted the US the authority to take things from Germany?
August 5, 2023
I thought the scientific- and historical content was excellent and well-researched. The chemistry and physics were easy to understand. It was organized very well. The frequent typos and other kinds of grammatical errors were very distracting as if the manuscript had not been proofread or edited. There were spelling errors and numerous instances showing lack of agreement in number between subjects and references to them. A typical error is on page 7: “Orbiting the nucleus are (plural) a third type of subatomic particle (singular):…”. Ouch. There are numerous spelling errors sprinkled throughout the book, such as on page 121: “…the negative change (should be “charge”) of the electrons…”, and on page 122: “…a tiny bight (should be “bright”) dot of light…”. Other errors in numerical agreement between subject and references to it: on page 199: The first paragraph starts out mentioning the metal cubes (plural), but then says “…their (plural) journey as a (singular) souvenir (singular)- a (singular) scientific spoil (singular) of war.” In that sentence, there is almost no agreement between the plural subject (cubes) and the subsequent references in the singular in that sentence. In the same paragraph, another similar error: “…a small cache (singular)…found their (plural) way…”. Page 238: “One (singular) … that were (plural)…”. The first paragraph on page 241 is a mishmash of singular and plural non-agreements. A scientific error: on the top of page 150, the author talks about solid carbon dioxide “evaporating”, but lower down on the same page, talks about it “sublimating”. Solid carbon dioxide does not evaporate.
May 12, 2024
In this book, Miriam E. Hiebert explores how the relics of the Nazi nuclear program -- largely in the form of machined cubes of uranium -- found their way around the world during the past eight decades. She relates the formation of the Alsos mission, a top-secret American mission to capture all Nazi scientists associated with the German nuclear program, together with the raw materials used in their attempt to develop atomic energy. In relating the Alsos mission, the author does an excellent job of raising in her readers' (and listeners') minds the question: Why did the Nazi nuclear program fail and the American program succeed, especially given that the Nazis had a two-year head start? The rest of the book answers this question and concludes with a brief history of the Manhattan Project.
I found this book very enjoyable, combining my love for history and my interest in science. This book does shed light on the wartime atomic programs in both Germany and America (as well as Great Britain). Hiebert has done an excellent job of narrating this episode in history, as well as providing her readers with an accessible understanding of nuclear physics. If you're interested in the history of the Nazi nuclear program, the efforts the Allies went to uncover its progress, and the question of why the Nazi nuclear program ultimately fizzled (pun intended), then I definitely recommend this book.
I found this book very enjoyable, combining my love for history and my interest in science. This book does shed light on the wartime atomic programs in both Germany and America (as well as Great Britain). Hiebert has done an excellent job of narrating this episode in history, as well as providing her readers with an accessible understanding of nuclear physics. If you're interested in the history of the Nazi nuclear program, the efforts the Allies went to uncover its progress, and the question of why the Nazi nuclear program ultimately fizzled (pun intended), then I definitely recommend this book.
August 31, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really liked it, stuck with me & would recommend
This non-fiction historical account of the Nazi nuclear program is told through tracing the tale of two of the original 664 Uranium cubes, which the Third Reich had pinned their nuclear ambitions on. From Werner Heisenberg and Germany's nuclear program to the Curies, the first family of nuclear physics, to the Allied Alsos Mission's infiltration of Germany to capture Nazi science to the renegade geologists of Murray Hill scouring the globe for uranium, the cubes are lodestars that illuminate a little-known—and hugely consequential—chapter of history.
It's part treasure hunt, part historical narrative. I was hooked and voraciously devoured it. The science was easily understood but not dumbed down. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in history, science history, and even those who like historical fiction because it reads like a novel.
The narrator, Wendy Tremont King, did a fantastic job. I had no trouble understanding what was happening, and her voice was clear and somewhat soothing.
Thank you to Tantor Audio, NetGalley, and author Miriam E. Hiebert for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The Uranium Club is out July 11, 2023.
This non-fiction historical account of the Nazi nuclear program is told through tracing the tale of two of the original 664 Uranium cubes, which the Third Reich had pinned their nuclear ambitions on. From Werner Heisenberg and Germany's nuclear program to the Curies, the first family of nuclear physics, to the Allied Alsos Mission's infiltration of Germany to capture Nazi science to the renegade geologists of Murray Hill scouring the globe for uranium, the cubes are lodestars that illuminate a little-known—and hugely consequential—chapter of history.
It's part treasure hunt, part historical narrative. I was hooked and voraciously devoured it. The science was easily understood but not dumbed down. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in history, science history, and even those who like historical fiction because it reads like a novel.
The narrator, Wendy Tremont King, did a fantastic job. I had no trouble understanding what was happening, and her voice was clear and somewhat soothing.
Thank you to Tantor Audio, NetGalley, and author Miriam E. Hiebert for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The Uranium Club is out July 11, 2023.
July 23, 2023
Book 35 of Nuclear Studies:
Coming in at a compact 248 pages, this historical narrative centers around the metal uranium cubes that were created for the Nazi nuclear program. There are four elements to this narrative: the more recent chance finding of two of such cubes by Dr. Tim Koeth, the Allied effort to understand the Nazi nuclear program, the failures of the Nazi nuclear program, and uranium processing. Out of all of these, the uranium processing section at the end feels a little outside of the scope of the book, but I understand why it was included.
Dr. Hiebert is a skilled technical communicator in my opinion. She does not waste time with metaphors, but explains the scientific mechanisms in very clear, concise terms. I was surprised and delighted by the ending where she wraps up by drawing parallels behind the Nazi failures to rally behind science to failures by our society to take vaccines and climate change seriously.
Coming in at a compact 248 pages, this historical narrative centers around the metal uranium cubes that were created for the Nazi nuclear program. There are four elements to this narrative: the more recent chance finding of two of such cubes by Dr. Tim Koeth, the Allied effort to understand the Nazi nuclear program, the failures of the Nazi nuclear program, and uranium processing. Out of all of these, the uranium processing section at the end feels a little outside of the scope of the book, but I understand why it was included.
Dr. Hiebert is a skilled technical communicator in my opinion. She does not waste time with metaphors, but explains the scientific mechanisms in very clear, concise terms. I was surprised and delighted by the ending where she wraps up by drawing parallels behind the Nazi failures to rally behind science to failures by our society to take vaccines and climate change seriously.
July 14, 2025
So my initial assessment of the book is that it’s good well presented and approachable to the average person what it’s not an epic page turner for sure but if you are interested in the topic it’s pretty well presented. The last chapter however turns into a opinion piece on science denial with criticisms of the trump administration during Covid 19 which has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. I get the author wants to share her message but it’s completely shoved in and really doesn’t convey a point other than she disagrees with the right. It kinda reminds me of the Neil Degrasse Tyson syndrome that many scientists have where they feel they need to share their politics regarding science usually in a condescending I am science therefore I’m right where as I was always taught that science should always be open to differing viewpoints. Well regardless she lost a stat based on that. Just seemed like nobody asked we were wanting to hear about the history of the nuclear programs
July 2, 2023
This is a really good book! The writing is excellent. I was a little worried it’d be over my head with the subject, but it wasn’t. This book is written in a way that you learn a lot and it is unraveled in a story so you are following people and their involvement as well as the science. If you are interested in either the science or the history uranium played in WWII this is a solid read.
This was an ARC provided by NetGalley in exchanged for a honest review.
This was an ARC provided by NetGalley in exchanged for a honest review.
July 19, 2023
This was so interesting to read and learn about - how uranium made its way out of Post WWII Germany and into safe and some not so safe hands. The perception of German intelligence and their nuclear program versus the reality of the state of their experiments was fascinating. A great paced read that is interesting throughout, I'm glad I've read more about uranium, its discovery and use!
November 9, 2023
Very clearly written summary of the attempt by Germany to master fission. Even if you know that history, you will probably pick up a few new facts or anecdotes. It's a short book, so many other related stories are left out, but this is concise, and the trigger, the search for the uranium cubes adds some interest.
April 6, 2025
This book gives the story of the development of nuclear power/bombs by both Germany and the U.S. It specifically details how many blocks of uranium were formed and where they eventually ended up (one of which is currently in the Museum of Nuclear Science in Albuquerque, New Mexico). (They lost me a bit in the last chapter. Not what I was asking for).
July 16, 2023
Wonderful job researching and reporting on the German nuclear program during WWII and the US operations to disassemble it rapidly at the end of the fighting, through the lens of a set of historical artifacts, uranium cubes.
July 17, 2023
I saw this title on the shelf during my most recent B&N visit and had to get a copy. It has many of my reading interests rolled into one, and it's narrative nonfiction style pulled me all the way into the book. It was truly fascinating and very well-written.
December 9, 2023
[Note: these comments are regarding the audiobook and it’s possible that the errors I note were introduced during the production of the audiobook and are not present in the actual book.] While the book is pretty good, I'm alarmed by a few obvious factual errors and wonder which of the many other facts I learned are not quite correct. Examples (quotes are not exact): "Brookhaven National Laboratory is in upstate New York" (it's not), and "When the Nazis invaded Germany"(ummm, even a sleepy editor should have caught that one).
April 2, 2025
A really good book that was ruined by a pretentious rant about the covid pandemic at the end. This is a book about the WW2 Nuclear reactor the Nazi's were working on, not a virus. I don't care what side of the argument you are on, it was jarring and out of place in this book.
July 12, 2025
Thank god this book didn't get too technical. The author kept most of the technical science explanations in plain English.
The fascinating parts were the race to find out where Hitler's scientists & their labs were located at. That was a nice change of pace from the technical science talk.
The fascinating parts were the race to find out where Hitler's scientists & their labs were located at. That was a nice change of pace from the technical science talk.
September 17, 2025
Thanks to Goodreads and Chicago Review Press for this ARC.
I read this in just a few sessions.
This is the first book I've read about the German race for a 'big bomb' that would assure they won the war.
It was fascinating.
I read this in just a few sessions.
This is the first book I've read about the German race for a 'big bomb' that would assure they won the war.
It was fascinating.
September 15, 2023
It's a history book, not as dry as a textbook and I did actually learn a few new facts. If not for the diatribe at the end the book it would have received 4 stars.
February 14, 2024
This was an especially good read after watching Oppenheimer. A good blend of science and history.
April 30, 2024
after reading the Oppenheimer book, this was a good follow-up. I find the war stories interesting, as well as the science.
September 4, 2024
Interesting library borrow
July 14, 2025
Wonderful high-level historical account of the interplay between nuclear energy and WW2. Alarmingly similar to the United States in 2025.
February 3, 2024
An interesting premise that easily could have taken 30min to summarize. Rampant with unnecessary details. The Uranium Club is an editorial disaster. While it’s dry delivery only further denies the story any favors.
With that said, the greatest takeaways are…
1. Boy did fascism really blow up in Axis powers’ faces
2. The US would not have won WWII without the brain power of immigrants who fled Europe
With that said, the greatest takeaways are…
1. Boy did fascism really blow up in Axis powers’ faces
2. The US would not have won WWII without the brain power of immigrants who fled Europe
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews