Fallout, by Todd Strasser

As the issue of decreasing the number of nuclear weapons in the US is creeps back into the news, Fallout, by Todd Strasser, offers a glimpse into what it was like when the numbers of bombs were on the rise and the fear of total destruction was imminent. Scott spends most of his days obsessing over girls and goofing off with friends, but when his dad decides to build a bomb shelter in the summer of ’62 his thoughts stray to the more serious matter of nuclear warfare. His mom is preoccupied with what others will think, since he is the only one in the entire neighborhood taking Kennedy’s word that a shelter is a must.

The disapproving chatter and side glances continue at the grocery store, but all scoffing is thrown out the window when the sirens blare in the middle of a chilly October night and ten people cram themselves into the shelter that was meant for four. The screams of those shut out fade quickly as the wave of destruction crashes above, but they live on in the minds of those left to survive on a small amount of rations until it’s safe to leave the shelter.

Told in chapters that alternate between present, in the bomb shelter, and past, summer that the shelter is being built, Strasser imagines what it would be like if the fears of so many Americans had become a reality. The short paragraphs make for a quick read and would be perfect for those that struggle to get through a book, if it weren’t for the intermittent curse words, Playboy discussions, and run-ins with drunken dads of friends. Though, this is a truthful portrayal of the mind and run-ins of a boy during this time, I’m not sure that a fifth or sixth grade parent would be so understanding. However, this would make for a great class read for older middle schoolers, as it leads the reader to wonder what it would have been like if fears during the Cuban missile crisis had become a reality.