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

By Steve Sheinkin

New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2021. Informational.

This follow-up to the uber award-winner Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon picks up in 1953 when a 13-year-old paperboy discovers a hollow nickel dropped by Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. This story provides the perfect hook to intrigue readers in the drama of the Cold War. Sheinkin expertly strings together the arrest of Rudolf Abel, the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the high-anxiety tension between U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Young readers likely aren't very familiar with the Cold War and may not even understand just how close the world came to total catastrophe -- and this book will set things up nicely.

Steve Sheinkin writes incredibly engaging narrative nonfiction books, and this title is no exception. He sets up the world of the 1950s and 1960s with just enough attention to all the right details to capture the tension of two countries on the very of atomic war. Approaching the time period through the lens of espionage is especially effective as a way to pique the interest of readers. Tweens, teens, and adults with an interest in the Cold War will find a lot to enjoy in this book.

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