Race to the Finish?

Race to the Finish?
Cover of John Murray first edition (1981)
AuthorDervla Murphy
PublisherJohn Murray
Publication date
1981
Pages264 (first edition)
ISBN071953884X
614.8/3
Preceded byWheels Within Wheels 
Followed byEight Feet in the Andes 

Race to the Finish? The Nuclear Stakes is a book by Irish author Dervla Murphy.[1] The book was first published in 1981. Like Murphy's other earlier works, it was published by Jock Murray of the John Murray publishing house.[1][2]

Race to the Finish? is about nuclear power and the arms industry. Murphy speaks out against them, and credits the book as a turning point that led her to write more about political issues.[3][4] In 1979, she stayed with friends near Three Mile Island, after America's worst nuclear accident. From then most of her books have been what she has called "mongrels", mixing travel with considerations of social, political and ethical problems.[5]

A review in the Library Journal states[6]

This book is avowedly anti-nuke. A well-reasoned and carefully written volume, it touches upon the safety factors in nuclear power plants, the medical consequences of nuclear radiation, the implications of nuclear proliferation, and the arms race expansion. Although some of the author's arguments can be found elsewhere, he presentation is well researched. Murphy concludes with an appreciation of the ethics and sincerity of most pro-nuclear scientists, however she may disagree with their view of nuclear energy.

  1. ^ a b Race to the finish?: the nuclear stakes. John Murray. 1981. ISBN 071953884X. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  2. ^ Bradt, Hilary (30 May 2022). "Remembering Dervla Murphy". Bradt Guides. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  3. ^ Wroe, Nicholas (15 April 2006). "Free wheeler". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. ^ Stewart, Bruce. "Dervla Murphy". Ricorso. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  5. ^ Kerr, Michael (27 February 2015). "Dervla Murphy: 'Once travellers shared opinions and experiences - now they queue silently to use a computer'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  6. ^ Mark W. Weber (15 June 1982). "Nuclear Stakes: Race to the Finish". Library Journal. 107 (12): 1228.