An unlikely itinerary for WarGames addicts, with bonuses for geopolitics buffs as well. Wired contributor Weinberger (Imaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld, 2006) and Jane's Defence Weekly contributor Hodge haven't exactly hit on a new idea with this tour of nuclear facilities of the Cold War and the present; fellow journalists Tad Bartimus and Scott McCartney scooped them in 1991 with Trinity's Children: Living Along America's Nuclear Highway. The older book remains readable and oddly entertaining, as is the newcomer, which has many virtues of its own. Not least, and perhaps most newsworthy, is the authors' "nuclear junketeering" trip to Iran, a nation whose nuclear history, they smartly observe, "was not always that of a pariah state." Indeed, back when the shah was in power-all the way back to Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace initiative-America was glad to see Iran develop nuclear facilities, even supplying a research reactor that went online in 1967. By 1976, the authors add, Iran was projected to have 20 nuclear plants, a development stymied by unrest and revolution that, perhaps ironically, delayed the country's nuclear growth for decades. That was then; now Condoleezza Rice huffs that "Iran needs no civil nuclear power." These are weird times indeed, and this travelogue takes readers into some of the weirder corners, including Wyoming missile silos and the nation's premier nuclear museum, in which one exhibit boasts two seemingly contradictory messages: one that nukes aren't scary, "while also demonstrating that nuclear weapons weren't terrifying enough to make anyone think twice about using them." Weirdest, perhaps, is the authors' venture toSiberia, where plenty of old-school hard-liners are still eager to lob a few ICBMs our way. The authors write with intelligence and good humor, though they end on a disquieting note: The last president to spend much time thinking about nuclear weapons was Reagan. Meanwhile, we're sitting atop "a nuclear arsenal that serves many purposes, but no particular end."A vacation for some, a nightmare for others. Either way, well worth reading. Agent: Michelle Tessler/Tessler Literary Agency
[Hodge and Weinberger] succeed admirably in reminding us that nuclear weapons have "never really gone away" and in calling attention to the crucial public debates that are not taking place. The questions they pose are significant and overdue; the answers they receive unsettling…They remind us that the purpose and future of our nuclear arsenal are too important to be left to those whose jobs remain dependent upon its perpetuation.” —Chicago Tribune
“A Nuclear Family Vacation is an eye-opening read for anyone who thinks that nuclear weapons are a thing of the past.” —Nerve
“How are you spending your next holiday? Tired of the same old thing? You might want to pick a different destination from A Nuclear Family Vacation, a new book and travel guide by veteran defence reporters Nathan Hodge and Sharon Weinberger. This husband-and-wife team take the reader on a rapid, darkly comic tour of nuclear weapons sites across the world. A rare achievement in a nuclear policy book, their narrative demystifies an intimidating topic for a broad audience without sacrificing substance. Instead of pontificating on thermonuclear war, Hodge and Weinberger give us an eye-level view, often through their car window…the book sparkles with anecdotes and insights. It is well worth the trip.” —Nature
“Some people trek to Machu Picchu, some dive on the Great Barrier Reef. Those of us interested in nuclear issues visit the monuments and precincts of the Bomb. Such are husband-and-wife journalists Nathan Hodge and Sharon Weinberger.” —New Scientist
“In A Nuclear Family Vacation, a husband-and-wife duo of Washington, DC-based defense reporters takes a journey deep into the nation's nuclear weapons complex. But wait—this turns out to be a surprisingly fun road trip.” —Mother Jones
“In this off-the-uncontaminated-path adventure, Sharon Weinberger and Nathan Hodge make nuclear vacationing seem fun, in a weirdly exhilarating way. They are the slightly obsessed tour guides holding the microphones at the front of the security-cleared bus. Together, the experts lead us across a neglected, mismanaged, and forgotten past, pointing out the history of doomsday weaponry along the way. A Nuclear Family Vacation is a shocking reminder that the Cold War isn't over; it's just transformed into something else that we don't have a name for yet.” —Robert Sullivan, author of Cross Country and Rats
“A vacation for some, a nightmare for others. Either way, well worth reading.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Exhibiting dark humor, defense journalists Hodge and Weinberger take a tour of America's nuclear-weapons infrastructure, visiting labs, plants, bunkers, missile silos, and ground zeros of nuclear explosions.” —Booklist
“In this adventure in ‘nuclear tourism,' the husband-and-wife authors…convey an acute sense of the incoherence of latter-day nuclear strategizing.” —Publishers Weekly
“Nuclear tourism is an effective and interesting way of canvassing issues we face today. Reading A Nuclear Family Vacation is a good way to learn more about the history of nuclear weapons and become conversant with our current situation. Hodge and Weinberger have done the legwork to back up their common-sense conclusions.” —Defense Technology International
“Underlying their journey into our nuclear past is an earnest and thoughtful discussion of our nuclear present—and future...They identify a troubling lack of a cohesive national nuclear policy and remark that "much of the infrastructure supporting nuclear weapons continues to exist merely because no one has come up with a compelling reason to shut it down." One can imagine an updated version of A Nuclear Family Vacation in which the two visit sites in Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, Israel, Russia, France, Great Britain, and heaven knows where else. The itinerary is not as finite as one would like; in fact, it seems to be growing. But there would be some comfort in having these sober and subtle observers as our guides.” —Bookforum
