Midnight in Chernobyl

This book reminded us of the importance of learning from history to help navigate an uncertain future. It helped us understand some of the history of Soviet Russia & nuclear power. But above all, it is a giant case study in poor leadership (mainly due to the culture of the political system) leading to disaster and the heroic response of people to save lives on an unimaginable scale. A lot of conversation at the moment is, understandably, about looking forward. But this book (and brilliant TV series) might be one of the more powerful lessons in how - and how not - to prevent, prepare and respond to a crisis.