When Summer Reading Comes Full Circle

Last summer, I elected to read “Bomb” by Steve Sheinkin, who came to inform the Darlington Community about the process of making history come to life. I first heard of Sheinkin’s future visit to Darlington during the last few weeks of my sophomore year; however, I had no idea what the following months would bring.

Soon after the completion of my sophomore year, Darlington alum Frank Barron (’48) and I were headed down to Atlanta for a lunch with a former Coca-Cola archivist. Mr. Barron and I became friends about a year and a half ago due to my interest in Coca-Cola history and his history as a Coca-Cola bottler.

During the ride down to Atlanta, we became engaged in a lengthy conversation about World War II, which ultimately led to his mentioning of a book titled “Bomb." I told Mr. Barron that I had just started the book and that Sheinkin was coming to speak at Darlington the following spring.

Seeming surprised and excited, Mr. Barron told me that he wanted to be at Darlington for Sheinkin’s visit because he had some bomb-related stories to share. Mr. Barron told me that some years after having served in the Korean War, he had met up with an old Darlington friend of his that also served in the war. The ultimate climax of the story was that both Mr. Barron and his friend, Buddy Andrews (’51), had served onboard boats that both transported and escorted an atomic bomb just 40 miles apart from one another in the Pacific Ocean.

Some nine months later, Sheinkin would be arriving to Darlington for a breakfast where he would hear these stories directly from Mr. Barron and Mr. Andrews. Luckily, I was able to attend this breakfast and speak with Sheinkin about his research process.

History is my favorite subject in school; however, interestingly enough, Sheinkin did not necessarily share this passion as a teenager. Sheinkin writes stories based off of different events that strike his curiosity but tells them in a way that allows history to seem less "boring." 

What Sheinkin has successfully done is take nonfiction stories (e.g. the construction of the atomic bomb, Benedict Arnold’s lack of patriotism) and told them in a way that reads like a fiction-based story. He considers this style of writing an effective method of making history come to life.

“Bomb” is a great example of this style writing due to the inclusion of anecdotal details about the lives of Robert Oppenheimer, Dorothy McKibbin, or any other native of Los Alamos.

Sheinkin’s visit is yet another example of Darlington students, faculty and alumni coming together to make the most out of an already special experience. 

This visit could not have taken place without hard work and planning by our Library Services department, and for that I am grateful. One thing is for sure, when I chose “Bomb” as my summer reading book last year, I had no idea what opportunities were to come. These opportunities, however, are possibly the best part about Darlington.

Together, the students, faculty and alumni form a worldwide community that allows for special events like Sheinkin’s visit to be much more than it was ever intended to be.

Click here to view additional photos from the breakfast with author Steve Sheinkin.

Click here to view photos of Sheinkin's presentation to Darlington students.