Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown

by Steve Sheinkin Narrated by Roy Samuelson

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin presents a follow up to his award-winning book Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, taking listeners on a terrifying journey into the Cold War and our mutual assured destruction.

As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and conquer the Space Race. In their battle for dominance, spy planes fly above, armed submarines swim deep below, and undercover agents meet in the dead of night.

The Cold War game grows more precarious as weapons are pointed towards each other, with fingers literally on the trigger. The decades-long showdown culminates in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the world's close call with the third-and final-world war.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Roy Samuelson, who narrated Sheinkin’s prize-winning BOMB, delivers his newest nonfiction. Listeners who were enthralled by the first audiobook will again be gripped, this time by his compelling dramatization of the Cold War era. Right away, Samuelson renders an impressive blow-by-blow account of a Russian espionage operation. As transitions back and forth in time provide context for historical situations, each skillful recounting by author and narrator embodies the tension felt during this era. Historical personages, major and minor, become substantial with Samuelson’s portraits, and vivid descriptions of events—from the construction of the Berlin Wall to the amassing of nuclear weapons and the frightening standoff at the Bay of Pigs—build with the intensity of a thriller. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 09/13/2021

This twisty spy story interweaves tautly paced political drama to document the perilous Cold War period and escalating conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. Newbery Honoree Sheinkin immediately hooks readers with an account of how a 1953 chance exchange of two hollow coins with film hidden inside tipped the CIA off to a Soviet spy ring; eventually, the lens extends to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the standoff between U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In addition to spies and political machinations, Sheinkin skillfully describes the science behind the race to develop fission bombs and conquer space, the nuclear threat and mutually assured destruction, and how the fear, bomb shelters, and classroom drills infused everyday life. Throughout, the highly charged narrative maintains a strong perspective and keen attention to detail, rounding out the figures involved—such as the American pilot Gary Powers, who flew U-2 jets to spy on Russia—with character and personality. The midsection can sometimes lag as it details the intricate chess game between Kennedy and Khrushchev, but b&w photographs heighten the tension in this dramatic and informative chronicle. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

"In this gripping account, Newbery Honor Book author and Sibert medalist Sheinkin offers an intense narrative that captures the terrifying tensions of the Cold War." —Booklist, starred review

"Sheinkin reprises his role as masterful, ever-so-wry storyteller, winking his audience into complicity in his critique of boneheaded brinksmanship..." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"In tightly organized chapters adorned with historical photos, Sheinkin seamlessly weaves the stories of different players and includes meticulously well-researched details to personalize and humanize his subjects... A first purchase for all teen collections." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Throughout, the highly charged narrative maintains a strong perspective and keen attention to detail, rounding out the figures involved—such as the American pilot Gary Powers, who flew U-2 jets to spy on Russia—with character and personality." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Steve Sheinkin recounts the "most intense years of the Cold War" with a cinematic writing style that is keenly detailed... Look no further for informative and entertaining nonfiction." —Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Sheinkin crafts an epic narrative with a large cast of characters, far-flung settings, multiple plot strands, and rising suspense, further evidence that one of our best nonfiction writers is also one of our best storytellers." — Book Horn Magazine, starred review

"Steve Sheinkin’s new nonfiction thriller about the Cold War is like one of its key emblems, the U-2 spy plane: fast, lean and able to survey a huge amount of territory." —The New York Times

"An account of a gripping real-life adventure that isn’t over yet." —Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

★ 09/01/2021

Gr 6 Up—Sheinkin delivers another heart-pounding tale, picking up where his 2012 award-winning book Bomb left off: the end of World War II and the start of the Cold War. The story opens in 1953, with Jimmy Bozart, the 13-year old paperboy who discovered a hollow nickel dropped by Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, a key early player in the series of conflicts that would lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In tightly organized chapters adorned with historical photos, Sheinkin seamlessly weaves the stories of different players and includes meticulously well-researched details to personalize and humanize his subjects. Key events from the Cold War are dramatized in detailed scenes, including the inception of the arms race between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., the capture of U2 pilot Francis Powers, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the building of the Berlin Wall. While Sheinkin examines up close the spies, ordinary citizens, scientists, and world leaders—including Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Khrushchev—who put events into motion, he simultaneously considers the bigger picture, not making outright villains or heroes of either side, except perhaps Soviet commander Vasily Arkhipov, who prevented a nuclear submarine strike during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sheinkin concludes with just how close the world came to catastrophe, and urges readers not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Teens who love history such as Marc Favreau's Spies and historical fiction like Jennifer Nielsen's A Night Divided won't be able to put this one down. VERDICT A first purchase for all teen collections.—Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Lib., Marshfield, MA

SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Roy Samuelson, who narrated Sheinkin’s prize-winning BOMB, delivers his newest nonfiction. Listeners who were enthralled by the first audiobook will again be gripped, this time by his compelling dramatization of the Cold War era. Right away, Samuelson renders an impressive blow-by-blow account of a Russian espionage operation. As transitions back and forth in time provide context for historical situations, each skillful recounting by author and narrator embodies the tension felt during this era. Historical personages, major and minor, become substantial with Samuelson’s portraits, and vivid descriptions of events—from the construction of the Berlin Wall to the amassing of nuclear weapons and the frightening standoff at the Bay of Pigs—build with the intensity of a thriller. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-06-24
A heated account of the Cold War.

Sheinkin, known for his accessible, narrative-styled history books for young readers, tackles the arms race during the Cold War era. Opening with a James Bond–style introduction to spies’ tradecraft—hollow nickels, dead drops, and secret codes—it moves through the Eisenhower and Stalin administrations to focus on John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, culminating in an hour-by-hour breakdown of the Cuban missile crisis. Thoroughly sourced, this fast-moving history provides a good overview of massively complex topics, lighting on the science behind hydrogen bombs, Duck and Cover drills, a bit of cryptography, and a compelling account of Kennedy’s exploits during World War II. There’s not enough exploration, however, of why America was so opposed to communism, no discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of global capitalism, and insufficient exploration of whether America was morally equipped for its superpower status, leaving gaps in the narrative that would help readers gain a deeper understanding of these issues in context. Whipping back and forth between times, places, and people may make it hard for some readers to follow at times, but the adventurous tone will capture and sustain their interest.

An account of a gripping real-life adventure that isn’t over yet. (source notes, bibliography, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173165398
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,013,143
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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