Nuclear War

I like this book but it repeats that annoying tone that lots of people do on this topic - ‘gosh aren’t we stupid for having these weapons, even chimpanzees know when to get off the treadmill etc' and shows no real understanding of the rationale behind how we got here, or sympathy for the game theory tragedy that forces the situation. She does not suggest what she thinks we ought to do about this, just implies that we’re stupid for living so dangerously.

At the end I have the same question as throughout - what does she think we should do? The book is mostly a depiction of how awful nuclear war would be, with occasional hints that we’re insane/stupid for getting here. But by only hinting at it, she releases herself from the obligation to explain or defend this position, or explain what she thinks we should do differently.

The other main criticism is that it is never really explained why North Korea launches its first strike, which seems like an incredibly stupid thing for it to do. This is kind of a problem because this is where the system she implies is stupid ultimately fails, but she doesn’t really go into detail.

But on the whole, I liked the book for what it is - a narrative. Coming away from it is a bit like waking up from a bad dream, in a good way.