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astronomist 's review for:
We can all agree this book kicks ass. I mean just look at those ratings (I really hope they don’t take a dive after I post this). As such, I won’t be throwing my opinion into the mix - it’s the same as everyone else’s anyways. Instead, I have some tips and tricks to get the most of this book, so you like it as much as I did.
1) Read the endnotes. They help you figure out what’s real and what isn’t - important because it all seems real. It also shows you just how realistic this scenario is, so that’s fun.
1.5) “I won’t read the endnotes,” you might say, which is valid - people don’t often read endnotes when reading for fun. But for the love of god, please at least read the endnote for page 230. It provides crucial contextual information, I promise it’s worth it.
1.75) “I. WON’T. READ. ENDNOTES.” Alright jeez I’ll give you the TLDR:
2) Understand this is denuclearization propaganda. The author is a disarmament advocate and gives his reasoning behind writing the book in his acknowledgments. It’s masterfully composed propaganda, worth reading for how well and how subtly Jeffrey Lewis constructs it. Everyone should read it, but diehard pro-nuclear (defense) people might get a little miffed.
3) Read the acknowledgments. I don’t normally read acknowledgments, cause usually they’re just thanking editors and family and whatnot (which this also has) but these acknowledgments provide contextual information on the book. You can wait until the end like I did (they are, after all, at the end), but it's nice to see what Jeffrey Lewis was going for.
1) Read the endnotes. They help you figure out what’s real and what isn’t - important because it all seems real. It also shows you just how realistic this scenario is, so that’s fun.
1.5) “I won’t read the endnotes,” you might say, which is valid - people don’t often read endnotes when reading for fun. But for the love of god, please at least read the endnote for page 230. It provides crucial contextual information, I promise it’s worth it.
1.75) “I. WON’T. READ. ENDNOTES.” Alright jeez I’ll give you the TLDR:
Spoiler
The accounts of victims of the nuclear attacks are actual accounts from the bombing of Hiroshima. Jeffrey Lewis wrote this entire book to trick apathetic Americans into consuming these accounts to better understand their suffering. I bet you feel like an asshole now.2) Understand this is denuclearization propaganda. The author is a disarmament advocate and gives his reasoning behind writing the book in his acknowledgments. It’s masterfully composed propaganda, worth reading for how well and how subtly Jeffrey Lewis constructs it. Everyone should read it, but diehard pro-nuclear (defense) people might get a little miffed.
3) Read the acknowledgments. I don’t normally read acknowledgments, cause usually they’re just thanking editors and family and whatnot (which this also has) but these acknowledgments provide contextual information on the book. You can wait until the end like I did (they are, after all, at the end), but it's nice to see what Jeffrey Lewis was going for.