Fallout Hardcover – September 10, 2013

Fallout delivers a taut, suspenseful tale that perfectly captures that period in 1962 when everyone thought nuclear war was right around the corner. This is an alternative history depicting a violent end to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Instead of a diplomatic solution, the missiles fly, and young Scott finds himself in a bomb shelter with his family and a few pushy neighbors who have managed to force their way in.

This novel moves along at a very fast pace, as short chapters switch back and forth between the bomb shelter and flashback as Scott remembers the days leading up to the missile strike. It is during these flashback scenes that we really get a feel for the time period and the emotions that were prevalent at the time. Scott is in sixth grade, and reading about his school drills, frank conversations with his parents, and his unique view of war and growing up was very interesting. I liked Scott and felt the author did a great job of putting the reader in his head. He felt very real to me and made the story even more compelling.

The chapters that describe Scott's relatively short stay in the bomb shelter were intense. Scott's mother has suffered a head injury, and one of the people in the shelter with them is a black servant, bringing about racial tensions as they try to conserve what food they have. Many of the adults are trying to deal with guilt about not letting other people into the shelter, and they are all coping with tight quarters and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

The one character in this story that I did not appreciate was Ronnie, Scott's best friend. He winds up in the bomb shelter with them, but his story is told mainly in the flashback sequences.Read more ›

An intriguing look at what would have happened if Russia had actually dropped a bomb on us during the Cold War, this book is a very realistic dystopia. Some people thought Scott's dad was crazy, building a bomb shelter. Then the sirens started going off. All of the sudden Scott's dad isn't so crazy, and everyone wants in to the tiny shelter made and stocked for only 4 people. How many will get in, and will they be able to wait out the 2 weeks needed to make the air outside safe enough to breathe?

Told in alternating past and present chapters, one chapter will be the days leading up to the bomb and the next will be life in the bomb shelter. I do not normally care for that type of writing style. While it isn't necessarily confusing, I always end up liking one better than the other. That was true this time. I definitely preferred reading about the time in the shelter. I didn't have to worry about trying to remember where I was at when I put the book down and picked it back up because I only put the book down once. It was a fast read, the chapters were relatively short, and I really needed to know what was going to happen.

Parent warning: The main character is only 11, but there is a lot going on in this book. One of his friends, Ronnie, is overall just a bad kid. He gets Scott to steal, and then Scott is the one in trouble. Scott knows that Ronnie's parents let him get away with a lot of things that Scott's parents won't be okay with. Ronnie is also really big into talking about things he would find in his dad's Playboy magazine and even mentions trying to see his own mother naked.

This enthralling read is perfect for middle grades. It portrays a life that could have truly happened, making the reader thing about the "what if"s. It is gritty, honest, and very realistic. Considering I do not like alternating chapters, this one had my attention so well and was so well written that I overlooked that and give it 5 stars anyway.

Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

This is the review as written by my eleven year old son, who read Fallout.

Fallout is about the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and a family that were the only people that built a bomb shelter to prepare for the possibility of war. The rest of the town came running to their home when a bomb was dropped in the middle of the night. The family was not completely prepared, however; they did not have water or communication yet. This led to many problems in the relationships with the townspeople as they became angry with their surroundings or lack of essentials. The family tried to stop the townspeople from invading their shelter, but they were still able to enter.

I give Fallout five stars. It was based on something that actually occurred and showed us what might have happened if things had turned out differently. I liked the change in point of view from the past to the present. It adds an interesting effect to the story. I would recommend Fallout to people who like historical fiction, especially about war. It was pretty easy to read and once I got started, I didn't want to put it down.

The author of this book, Todd Strasser, has written numerous books for young people, it’s interesting he would choose this subject matter. No one in the target audience of this book would have lived through the Cold War, and few would really understand (or even know about) the Cuban Missle Crisis.

This book was inspired by the author’s own experiences when his father built a bomb shelter in their backyard. Strasser’s family was the only house in their neighborhood with a bomb shelter. Scott, who is the main character of the story, is also the only boy on the block with a bomb shelter. This Strasser’s 100th book, and its interesting that he would wait this long to write this book that seems so personal. Unlike the author’s own experiences, Scott’s family actually uses their shelter.

What would have happened if the bomb was dropped? That’s the question this book tackles. So many books in this genre have become just as popular with adults as they are with the intended YA audience. One thing I noticed while reading it was the references to the 1960s that even the smartest kids will have a hard time understanding. I just don’t think it resonates. Elementary school students who never lived through the “duck and cover” drills won’t understand the imminent threat of nuclear war that Americans lived through during the Cold War.

Shortly after Scott’s father finished building the bomb shelter, the neighborhood is shocked when they believe the country is under nuclear attack. They were prepared, though. As their neighbors are panicking and scrambling, Scott’s family prepares to get into the shelter. As Scott’s father prepares to close the hatch a few of their neighbors are right outside, begging and fighting to come in.Read more ›