Nuclear War: A Scenario

Annie Jacobsen

Mar 2024 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The INSTANT New York Times bestseller

Instant Los Angeles Times bestseller

Finalist, Dayton Literary Peace Prize

One of NPR's Books We Love

One of Newsweek Staffers' Favorite Books of the Year

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize

“In Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen gives us a vivid picture of what could happen if our nuclear guardians fail…Terrifying.”—Wall Street Journal

There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States.

Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.

Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Biological War: A Scenario Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.

Ratings and reviews

Nuclear War, A Scenario is a fantastic yet terrifying read in which Annie Jacobsen writes in great detail about how close humanity is to bringing about its own demise via nuclear war. Jacobsen does a marvelous job explaining the various steps, policies, and events that were to occur before, during, and after a nuclear war and how vitally important it is for the reader (and everyone) to understand that the risk of nuclear war is higher than ever before. One miscalculation and/or miscommunication can trigger a series of events that would all but obliterate most life on earth and Jacobsen does a terrific job conveying that. If you are interested in reading a book that not only terrifies you, but also gives you the motivation to speak out for nuclear disarmament, then Nuclear War, A Scenario is the book for you.

Must Read. It's a vivid, harrowing narrative of the hell that can unfold any minute of any day on a planet controlled by sociopaths. Also, makes you more appreciative of every moment we aren't incinerated, poisoned, crushed, any number of horrors ready to be unleashed.

Read it! Puts a lot of government functions into perspective, but also how dangerous a single individual can be to us all. Especially read the acknowledgement at the end. Scary, informative and captivating.

About the author

Annie Jacobsen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist in history The Pentagon’s Brain, the New York Times bestsellers Area 51 and Operation Paperclip, and other books. She was a contributing editor at the Los Angeles Times Magazine. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Apple, and Amazon. Coverage has ranged from The New York Times to Joe Rogan’s podcast.