As a journalist, I'm proud of "Making a Real Killing." Its compelling attention to detail underscores its credibility. Without the detail, the book succumbs to a dull existence as an uninformed environmental screed.

As a reporter, I'm proud of the book's clear, concise explanations of highly complex nuclear technology. The workings of a nuclear bomb and the sources and effects of ionizing radiation are set forth in a clear and compelling manner.

As a storyteller, I'm proud of the fundamental organizing tools the book uses. Telling the history of Rocky Flats from the point of view of the participants in the story makes the book readable and adds a dramatic element that is effective without being cloying or sensationalistic. Also, telling the story of the land itself is a wonderful device.

As a professor of journalism, I'm reinvigorated by the book. It reflects an author in full command of his reporting and writing skills. Each semester I show one particular overhead transparency repeatedly in class: "Use more detail. Reveal more truth." I have read passages from the book to my students to demonstrate the power of carefully used detail.

As a copy editor, I'm particularly proud of the masterful editing. Believe me, I looked very, very hard for errors and even harder for ways to tighten wording or clarify organization. I found only two commas I might quibble with. The University of New Mexico Press did a superb job in designing, editing, and publishing this book.

As a person who practiced "duck and cover" in elementary school, I'm struck by the compelling arguments the book makes about the insane politics and economics of national weapons and defense policies. For this reason alone, the book should earn a Pulitzer prize.

Len Ackland produced a rich, valuable, compelling piece of book-length journalism. As a work of history, it should provide sound lessons for those who create public policy.

(Disclosure: Len Ackland served on my dissertation committee while I was a doctoral student at the University of Colorado-Boulder.)