Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
Nuclear war never used to be something I worried about. It felt like a distant threat, an almost old-fashioned and out-of-date fear that was overblown in the 1950s and 1960s. I used to read a lot of 1950s science fiction, so perhaps that separated it even further from my reality.
A few years ago for my twenty-something birthday, I dragged my father and husband to Kelvedon Hatch, a secret nuclear bunker that looks like the setting of a horror film. I know what you’re thinking – what kind of maniac would want to visit a nuclear bunker for their birthday? Me, the lover of all things post-apocalyptic, that’s who.
Anyway, Kelvedon Hatch was my first glimpse into the very real, very scary threat that is nuclear war. The bunker is airless, claustrophobic and oppressive, but that’s not what frightened me most. It was the propaganda they had on display – in the event of nuclear war, the government advised people to stay in their homes and for children to hide under their desks at school. The tone was light and matter-of-fact, but of course these measures would do nothing to protect citizens. Meanwhile, the government was building a fucking bunker so that they could survive the nuclear holocaust they would have helped to start.
It was a grim and very memorable birthday, and I remember thinking how frightening it must have been at the time, yet still I didn’t perceive it as a threat to me now. That all changed when I read Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario.
I heard about the book online. Many reviewers said it read like fiction and was the most harrowing book they had ever read. Because I love horror and dystopian fiction, I thought it would be entertaining.
Entertaining. Huh.
Nuclear War: A Scenario describes the probable events that would occur should a nuclear missile be launched from North Korea and trained to target the White House. Each chapter goes in-depth into the seconds and minutes that would follow, from the journey of the missile and the technology used to create it, to American military protocol and the global aftermath. This is a heavily researched, comprehensive book that contains a lot of digestible details about the history of nuclear arms, the science behind it and how (despite numerous presidents claiming they will work to lessen the possibility of a nuclear war) it is still a very real, very present threat.
The whole book is ridiculous. Well, not the book itself, but the very concept of nuclear war is just stupid. Jacobsen repeatedly states that throughout, and also shares quotes from scientists, politicians and army officials who concur. No one wins when it comes to nuclear war – there are too many countries armed to the teeth in the name of deterrence for it to be anything other than planet-destroying. If one bomb goes, especially towards America, we are all done for.
For me, the most harrowing part of this book wasn’t the description of the end of the world, but rather what would happen should the president be dead or missing before America has the chance to retaliate. I’m oversimplifying this of course, but protocol states that if a nuclear bomb is heading towards America, America must hit back. However, if the president is dead or missing, the next in line must be sworn in as the ‘acting president’ so someone can give the nod to release bombs in the direction of the enemy. To swear in the next in command, a bible or some sort of book must be used to perform a ludicrous, rushed ceremony. While the world is so very close to ending, a bunch of silly men are looking for a book so one of them can end the world a little faster. It’s just all so…well, silly.
About halfway through this book I started to feel misery fatigue. Don’t get me wrong, this is a vital book and its existence has never been so important, given the state of the current political climate, but is it an important book for me specifically? The only thing I can do in the face of nuclear war is hope I’m close enough to the blast to be incinerated immediately rather than have to wait to slowly die in unimaginable pain.
Nuclear War: A Scenario made me feel powerless, because I am. We all are. Trump, of all people, holds the codes to start nuclear war. Yes, there are complex (ish) steps in place and it’s not just a matter of him pushing a button, but he can end the world if he wants to.
As I said, this is a very important book and I’m glad it has been written to bring attention to the topic, but you won’t find anything positive in these pages. There is no plan of action or helpful tips for us plebs to follow. All we can do is wait and when we get the chance, vote for saner people to be in power.
So do I recommend you read this? I dunno, really. It should be read by anyone with a semblance of power, but the madmen in power listen to no one but themselves.
To quote Jacobsen, ‘Only time will tell if we humans will survive’.
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