The Girls of Atomic City Book Analysis

1941, the world changed forever after Japan dropped a bomb on pearl harbor. While men were fighting at war the women stepped up after pearl harbor to create the atomic bomb, and help bring an end to the war.  During a time of a crisis, women were willing to sacrifice their mental health and endure loneliness , to help bring an end to the war. 

At Oak Ridge, many of the women were impacted by the secrecy that came with working and living there because they were separated from their families. In the book, The Girls of the Atomic City by Denise Kiernan, the main character Celia and several of the other young women were forbidden from speaking to their relatives, which made them feel lonely and worried their families. In the book, it says, “Celia's mother wanted her daughter to come home. Celia, however, wanted to stay with the project. Celia worked in the headquarters of CEW after all and had been told that their work there would bring a quick end to the war,” (Kiernan 161).  The women were isolated because of the harsh restrictions that were placed on them while working at the reservations. The laboratory did not allow any of the women to send home letters and If they ever sent home a letter it would get to their family 3 months later because the government didn't want anything to get out about the atomic bomb. Celia's mother didn't like the idea of her staying there because it was causing her to feel lonely, and lose contact with her loved ones because of the secrecy at Oak Ridge. The young women left their homes, families, and lives behind to help work on the Atomic bomb and endured the struggles and loneliness that came with this. Despite the isolations that Celia and other women were feeling, they were able to work past these conditions because they knew it would lead to something beneficial. Not only did the secrecy have an impact on the women feeling lonely but many were also constantly stressed and worried about the strict rules and saying something out of turn. In the book, it says, “The anxiety of not knowing, of being watched, of worrying you might say something out of turn, and the inspiration to stay on the job and do it well  because whatever you were working on was going to help end the war,” ( Kiernan 134). When working at Oak ridge there were extreme penalties for saying something out of turn. Many people would be sent home or possibly punished for the actions they had done and said. The secrecy of the project made many of the women struggle with anxiety because the only thing in their life was to worry if someone was listening and if you said something you shouldn't have. Even though the women struggled with the secrecy and the impacts that came with it,  many of them processed with their job because they were the only ones that could. During this time of the crisis,  the women continued their work at Oak Ridge despite the impact that secrecy had on them because they knew it would help bring an end to the war. 

The women working for the atomic bomb sacrificed their mental health by working and living at the reservations. The working and living conditions were extremely rough for the young women at the reservation. Many of them were diagnosed with depression because of these harsh conditions. In the book, it says, “ Rosemary noted the depression cases that made their way to Dr. Clarke’s office, just around the corner from her own. When she observed women with children and others who had never left home before, she realized it could be quite tough for housewives and young mothers,” (Kiernan 135). The young women had family and lives that they left behind to come help at Oak ridge. When working there the conditions were rough to work in, they would have to work 12 hours a day with no break. They were restricted from talking to anyone and the homes they lived in were not ideal. These conditions started to impact these women and eventually made many of them depressed and lack motivation. Women sacrificed their mental health for this project and persisted through their mental health struggles to help the war. Adding on, many women made their way to the doctor’s office and many people were concerned for them and their well-being. In the book, it says, “upon arriving….. the amount of the young women remained a concern, as did morale and depression,” (Kiernan 135). Living and working at the reservation had impacted these women so much that many people were beginning to worry about their mental health. When the men were off at war they had to take on these jobs that were not easy and the circumstances that came with working for the project. Their motivation was begging to lack but the women had never left the reservation and stayed, knowing their mental health could get worse. During the time of the crisis, women struggled with mental health because of conditions but continued their jobs, which benefited America. 

To conclude, During a time of a crisis women were willing to sacrifice their mental health and endure loneliness , to help bring an end to the war. The women were able to push through their mental health struggles and homesickness because they knew it was their job and would eventually benefit America.