Nuclear War
By Annie Jacobsen
- Release Date: 2024-03-26
- Genre: Military History
Description
The INSTANT New York Times bestseller
Instant Los Angeles Times bestseller
Finalist, Dayton Literary Peace Prize
One of NPR's Books We Love
One of Newsweek Staffers' Favorite Books of the Year
Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize
“In Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen gives us a vivid picture of what could happen if our nuclear guardians fail…Terrifying.”—Wall Street Journal
There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States.
Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.
Reviews
Nuclear War
4By aqwsdrgbbA very solid read that opens up the thought process behind how the government thinks and will treat a nuclear exchange. I learned a lot of interesting information from the book.This is scary stuff
5By morrissey19777This book blew my mind. Not in a good way. Scary stuff. Honestly, this book and those like it should become part of every US Citizens HS education. It’s absolutely INSANE for countries to still have these weapons available.Nuclear war
5By donnlpIt was long and very detailed, maybe to much informationTerrible and horrific …
5By Picllb123Everyone should read this book. We all need to know the horrific truth about nuclear annihilation. God help us all if the situation in the world ever comes down to this .Horrifying yet Imformative
4By 5pbmqaI thought I knew how much trouble we were in, but I was wrong.Great!
5By Lost IntimeLoved the story! Very thought provoking!Could Not Stop
5By BigAppleGregA minute - no - second by second accounting on how the world ends. Fantastic read and it’s easy to just keep going. Also, terrifying.Amazing and Chilling Read
5By Farm man 2335567854This book is amazing! Although this is a hypothetical scenario, this book is also filled with an abundance of knowledge regarding nuclear warfare and advancements. It might seem like there is a good deal of filler, but I feel that it is needed to add some extra knowledge to the reader about what could and why things in the hypothetical are happening. I recommend this book to anyone interested in what a nuclear warfare might look like in present day.Absolutely terrifying
5By Turtlebot69Read to induce an existential crisisEvery citizen should read this book
5By Ian BoockThere are 2 existential threats to humanity. Global warming which will destroy civilization over about three hundred years; and nuclear war which will destroy civilization and life on earth as we know it over a period of about two hours. Both threats seem insurmountable, but both threats are our own doing. So what are you personally going to do about them? That’s what I asked myself after reading this book.Meh
1By raoul duke400You could cut this book by 75 percent, and get the same result. It is way too repetitive. Didn’t read it for a couple days, picked it up again and thought I already read these pages. What will really happen during a nuclear war? Most Americans will forget the kids, start screwing, taking meth, drinking themselves into oblivion, snort coke, and shoot their neighbors.Should be required reading
5By RumarBrilliant. Current. Well researched. And, terrifying - we should be better!Cold War Realities Reimagined for 2024
4By SonOfTheGrizThis book brings back too many memories from a childhood lived in front line states during the climax of the Cold War at the height of public alarm conveyed through 1980s TV, cinema, and news. A time when we openly talked about Armageddon as a very real possibility. This particular scenario is not as far-fetched as some may think, and the reality of just how fast our world will slam into the bedrock of inevitability when our assumptions about detente, deterrence, and Mutually Assured Destruction fall apart. The people who KNOW what will happen know that the only true way to win is not to play… and they know that if someone f’s around, the only thing we find out is that it will all come to an end.Excellent
5By jvs1966Terrifically well written and utterly terrifying.Harrowing but important read
5By Efy sI don’t consider myself a risk taker, but this book makes me feel like we are all living in the edge. There are so many obstacles to nuclear disarmament, but it seems obvious that this should be the next major goal for the international community to tackle. This book is a page turner that every person should read.A vision which hopefully won’t, but probably will happen
5By G'Dad12Very well written on a subject we think about but have no idea regarding the consequences of a miscalculation can have. All of our political leadership should read this book……then send copies to all world leaders!!Great book
5By Cmorr1234Very sobering book that held my attention throughout.Jeez
5By Lagunes69This book is both amazing and yet depressing when the events are presented to you.Gripping and horrifying, but also an amazing read
5By DopehatmanI started this book before work one morning, and ended up calling in sick so I could finish it in one session. I just couldn’t put it down, or even stop thinking about the material when I forced myself to take a break and walk around the block a few times. As an engineering scientist, a book hasn’t grabbed me with this level of “and what happens next?” attention since Andy Weir’s ‘The Martian’, with an obvious and critical difference: this event could literally happen to all of us tomorrow. We forget that the waves of nuclear disarmament in the 90’s and 00’s only brought things from the level of potentially destroying humankind 20 times over down to a mere once-over. We still sit on a razor’s edge.
