Nuclear War: A Scenario (Unabridged)
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4.5 • 981 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher 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 and author of Biological War: A Scenario 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.
Customer Reviews
A terrifying look at how humanity could destroy itself.
This is a great book. Very detailed and well organized. The author breaks it down minute by minute from start to finish. 72 minutes to be precise. Just that many to alter the course of human existence forever. To think humanity posses such power is pure nightmare fuel. That was one of the reasons I had to take this book in small doses. It’s not a good defeats evil scenario. No winners, only losers. Too much of this topic in one sitting would bring my mood down. So buyer beware on that one. If you are looking for something uplifting or the side of right wins… look elsewhere. However, depressing subject matter aside, this book covers all the dark details of a nuclear war scenario. Content and organization are top notch. Being a child of the eighties and the Cold War, this book spelled out in detail a lot of what I learned through documentaries and books in my youth. Which is why this book is a five star book. The audiobook on the other hand, didn’t get 5 out of 5.
There are two reasons why I gave this audiobook 4 out of 5 stars. First, the author’s voice is very absent of emotion and monotone almost droning. As some other reviews have said it almost sounded like bad AI reading. Perhaps that was intentional. Perhaps not. It was one of the contributing factors for me taking this book in “small doses”. Which I found to be odd after listening to the author on several podcasts. She doesn’t speak that way in person to person interviews. Maybe the producer of the audiobook should asked for more emotion.
Second, and this is just a thing for me, is some mispronunciation of words. There were more than a few instances in my listening to this work. An example of this is the first time when the author mispronounces the name of the manufacturer of the presidents helicopter, Marine One. It is not correct. However, the second time, later in the book, she pronounces it correctly. Is it a big deal for most? Most likely it isn’t. For me it just makes me cringe because I am a detail freak. But I am in the minority there. Those would the only reasons for less than five stars for this audiobook.
AI voice?
Voice sounds AI generated.
Best Book and Author
Annie really knows how to research a book and this one proves it. Only book I’ve read twice. This’ll scare you but give you way more insight. Great work!