I'm so excited every time I get a chance to read a Steve Sheinkin book! He takes a fascinating story that is just meant to be told and writes that story with text that a middle schooler can actually understand and appreciate. I know, one would think it's common sense, but honestly, these books are so refreshing to read. This book is his latest release, and it could be considered a sequel to his previous book - Bomb. Fallout discusses the astronomical tension that developed during the Cold War between Kennedy and Khrushchev and the events that led to the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sheinkin incorporates anecdotes about the two leaders (like Kennedy's constant back pain) to make the topic more relatable and personable. The narrative is written with short chapters and thriller-like text that would draw in any middle schooler. Pick up this book for your classroom and check out the rest. I plan on adding all of his titles to my classroom bookshelves next year.
From the publisher, “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 readers 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.”
