Midnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbothamby Adam Higginbotham
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People praise its prose and updated analysis beyond the IAEA report, covering the disaster from run-up to aftermath.
People praise its prose and updated analysis beyond the IAEA report, covering the disaster from run-up to aftermath.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Brilliant prose covering the whole disaster
“Midnight in Chernobyl is brilliant prose about the disaster, from the run-up through to the aftermath.”
Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “Chernobyl Wildlife Forty Years On” Updated analysis beyond the IAEA report
“included a lot of updated analysis beyond the IAEA original report”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “Debunking the Myths of the HBO Chernobyl series (2023)” Called one of the best books
“it's one of the best books I've read”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Famous Photo of Chernobyl's Dangerous Radioactive Material Was a Selfie (2016)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Medvedev source full of inventions
“which is based on Medvedev's book, which is full of inventions.”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Debunking the Myths of the HBO Chernobyl series (2023)”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Midnight in Chernobylby Adam HigginbothamThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's one of the best books I've read”
“Midnight in Chernobyl is brilliant prose about the disaster, from the run-up through to the aftermath.”
“which is based on Medvedev's book, which is full of inventions.”
“included a lot of updated analysis beyond the IAEA original report”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.