text: Theodore B. Taylor, the physicist who was the subject of this book died in 2004, but not before he had completed his spiritual journey from nuclear bomb maker to nuclear protester.  Even though the text of this book originally appeared in "The New Yorker" in 1973, Taylor was still driven to publish his own works on the dangers of nuclear proliferation.  McPhee has a very understated style ("just the facts, ma'am"), but this book is still the most frightening I've ever read.  I can't decide whether I would want him to write a sequel, because the threat of a nuclear bomb explosion is even greater today than it was in 1973.  Just ask yourself the following questions:
  
  Is there more plutonium available to terrorists in 2006 than there was in 1973?  Yes.
  
  Do more nations have nuclear capability?  Yes.
  
  Can a nuclear bomb be built that is even smaller and more efficient than its 1973 counterpart?  Yes.
  
  Are the instructions for building a nuclear device more readily available than they were in 1973?  Yes.
  
  Do some people hate America even more than they did in 1973?  Decide this one for yourself.
  
  John McPhee, staff writer for the "New Yorker" and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of twenty-seven books on subjects as various as oranges and the merchant marine, has written a nuclear explosion of a book in "The Curve of Binding Energy."    It's one of those books that is even more relevant now than when it was written.  Essentially, it's a blueprint of how to build a nuclear device using materials at hand, along with a chunk of rather easily stolen U-235 or plutonium.  Theodore B. Taylor, himself the creator of smaller, more efficient nuclear bombs, tells us where to steal the plutonium, how to assemble a bomb, even gives hints on where to plant it--one of the eeriest parts of this book has Taylor and McPhee exploring the now-vanished towers of the World Trade Center, trying to pick the spot where a nuclear device could do the most damage.
  
  "The Curve of Binding Energy" is a must read for every man, jack, and paper-pusher in the Department of Homeland Security, not to mention both houses of Congress.  I imagine the first reaction of many Congresspersons would be to ban this book, but it's way too late for that, my friend.
  