Cover Image: Gambling with Armageddon

Gambling with Armageddon

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Member Reviews

Fascinating story of American atomic weapons policies from 1945 to 1962 full of newly discovered information. Perfect for foreign policy aficionados as well as general readers interested in the subject.

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This book is a memoir of sorts about the presence of the nuclear threat in American diplomatic history. I started it thinking that it would be a monograph on the changing nature of American strategy, but soon found it to be something quiet different. Books like these are good; they shake up our understanding of the history, and seeing these events from a personal perspective gives historians a new approach and new evidence to view the Cold War. The author's insight sticks with you; his expertise and professional history grounds the story, but at the end of the book, it really is a tale of cautionary history. To consider how close humanity has come to multiple nuclear disasters is striking and a wake up call. It also helps us realize that history is full of lessons for our time.

If you are looking for an extensive, research-based argument about the Cold War, this isn't it. If you're looking for a personal narrative to supplement all those that have been written, Sherwin's book is a must-read

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