War. War never changes - a new book club announcement!

About a week ago, we posted a cryptic picture and hidden message on our instagram page and piqued a lot of folks’ interest! Well, I’m here to formally announce our new *quarterly* book club for all of you who said our nautical book club was too niche. 

Underbrush proudly present: Under the Desk: A Nuclear Fallout Book Club

That’s right, folks! We’re doubling down and Dom and I’s constant commitment to a bit. Join us on 3/27 at 6:30 to discuss Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. 

Adam’s Review: 

What better book to read at Christmas with the family than a book about the worst possible outcome of the most nightmarish scenario imaginable! The book is exactly that. The scenario that Jacobsen presents is what could potentially happen if every worst case scenario were to happen in the outbreak of nuclear war. Presented in a by the minute format, the reader is guided through layers of hypotheticals, based on interviews, projections, de-classified documents, and real boots-on-the-ground experience. 

Everyone knows I read a lot of horror. In fact, most folks refer to me as ‘horror guy’ when they forget my name. That being said: Nuclear War is the scariest book I’ve ever read. It’s also, oddly, one of the most comforting. Let me explain. 

Jacobsen begins the book with a history lesson. How did we get here? A world where nuclear war is a constant threat looming in the background. She leads us through the Cold War with some cold hard facts and figures of how close we were to our doom back then, and uses that to outline our current situation. 

Once our history lesson is done, Jacobsen starts the doomsday stopwatch and lets the minutes tick onwards. It starts with the launch of a single ICBM from North Korea… chaos ensues. 

So, you can imagine where the fear comes from, but what about the aforementioned comfort? I found it oddly comforting and less anxiety-inducing, imagining the worst scenario in such detail. In a situation I had zero control over, reading a minute by minute account of all the horrible shit that would happen made me realize I’d just have to roll with it!

All of that to say: this book is, weirdly, a ton of fun to read and even more fun to discuss with other people. Since finishing it, I’ve had multiple spirited discussions about doomsday, climate change, the Fallout franchise, history, and the idea of American Exceptionalism. Nuclear War: A Scenario is the perfect read for history fans and folks who have a fascination with what humanity is capable of.