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A review by eythana
Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Spooked by Gail Jarrow is a nonfiction narrative telling of a true event that took place in October of 1938, when a radio broadcast essentially threw the U.S. into temporary turmoil through a dramatic radio adaptation of a popular novel. Many people believed that the broadcast was sharing events in real time, despite the writers' deliberate placement of inaccurate time stamps throughout the evening that should have signaled its fictitiousness, as well as announcements at the beginning, forty minutes in, and at the end that stated this clearly. Jarrow pieces together the script of the show with accounts from the voice actors, directors and writers, listeners, and news outlets who later reported on the scare. She blends these with clear descriptions and a narrative arc that we follow from before the show is even an idea, describing the lives of the two primary minds behind it, to long after it airs, examining the longer term effects that the broadcast had.
The book feels like it is intended for readers of ages somewhere between nine and upper teens. It does feel very heavily informational in a lot of places, but Jarrow attempts to break up long sections of text with illustrations and photos. As a whole, it is definitely relating a story, but some wordy sections could make the reader feel a bit lost in details.
A primary theme of the entire story is people's gullibility and willingness to except a truly preposterous narrative. Many people actually believed that extraterrestrials from Mars had landed on earth and were set on destroying everything. Some viewers said they could smell the smoke that the broadcasters described, citing it as proof of the claim's reality. Many people were extremely upset by how realistically they felt the story was portrayed. One letter to Orson Welles, the voice actor playing a prominent role in the show, said, "If what I think of you would ever take effect it would burn you up to a cinder. Hopeing never to hear from you again." Another letter sent to the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, read, "CBS program of last evening most abominable hoax ever perpetrated on American public." Others were amused and shocked that anyone could have believed such a far-fetched story. There was a large group which thought it was just proof of how susceptible Americans were to propaganda of any kind, which was particularly frightening considering the direction in which Hitler was taking Germany. The American people were accustomed to hearing talk of war, and a few even thought that the radio program had got it wrong, and this was actually Hitler attacking the U.S.
Jarrow describes all of this in a way that would be interesting to the child who is willing to spend more than a few minutes reading or being read to, particularly if they have any interest in history. It captures a particular moment in a unique way, and could certainly entertain the curious child or teen. The issues that are discussed as far as the general public's willingness to believe things that are presented to them has certainly only worsened in subsequent decades, and is still some thing we are decidedly battling against.
The book feels like it is intended for readers of ages somewhere between nine and upper teens. It does feel very heavily informational in a lot of places, but Jarrow attempts to break up long sections of text with illustrations and photos. As a whole, it is definitely relating a story, but some wordy sections could make the reader feel a bit lost in details.
A primary theme of the entire story is people's gullibility and willingness to except a truly preposterous narrative. Many people actually believed that extraterrestrials from Mars had landed on earth and were set on destroying everything. Some viewers said they could smell the smoke that the broadcasters described, citing it as proof of the claim's reality. Many people were extremely upset by how realistically they felt the story was portrayed. One letter to Orson Welles, the voice actor playing a prominent role in the show, said, "If what I think of you would ever take effect it would burn you up to a cinder. Hopeing never to hear from you again." Another letter sent to the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, read, "CBS program of last evening most abominable hoax ever perpetrated on American public." Others were amused and shocked that anyone could have believed such a far-fetched story. There was a large group which thought it was just proof of how susceptible Americans were to propaganda of any kind, which was particularly frightening considering the direction in which Hitler was taking Germany. The American people were accustomed to hearing talk of war, and a few even thought that the radio program had got it wrong, and this was actually Hitler attacking the U.S.
Jarrow describes all of this in a way that would be interesting to the child who is willing to spend more than a few minutes reading or being read to, particularly if they have any interest in history. It captures a particular moment in a unique way, and could certainly entertain the curious child or teen. The issues that are discussed as far as the general public's willingness to believe things that are presented to them has certainly only worsened in subsequent decades, and is still some thing we are decidedly battling against.