Fallout by Steve Sheinkin

Sheinkin brings the Cuban Missile Crisis to life in this nail-biting read for young teens.

Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook Press, 2021. 352 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10+

Recommended For: Middle Grades and Teens, ages 12+

This is a story about spies and spy catchers. It’s about superbombs, the space race, and the global clash between the United States and the Soviet Union. It’s the story of the most intense years of the Cold War, building to the single most dangerous moment in human history. But even in such an epic struggle, small details and seemingly ordinary people play pivotal roles, shoving events in one direction or another.

~Sheinkin, p. 9

The Cuban Missile Crisis is part of “history” for me: I didn’t live through it; rather, I learned about it through books and other resources. But after reading Fallout, I feel like I lived through it! Like Bomb, Fallout is a nail biter read, hooking the reader on the first page with that gripping paragraph (super bombs?! spies?!) and racing towards a desperate finish. Sheinkin spends plenty of time with both Khrushchev and Kennedy, but he also covers seemingly ordinary people who ended up playing pivotal parts in the Cold War’s grim standoff. And the story begins with a hollow nickel….

The Cold War is recent enough history that students often don’t get to it, or brush over it quickly at the end of the year as they rush to “finish” American history. Sheinkin has a gift for bringing history to life, but he also chooses historical events and seasons that are frequently given short shrift in textbooks. For that, I’m thankful! Like he did in Bomb, Sheinkin manages to show readers just how many small moments, decisions, and seemingly unconnected people contributed to this massive crisis. As Christians, we can thank the Lord for His sovereign control over all the things we will never know or understand. And books like Fallout should motivate us to pray for our leaders as they grapple with decisions and information we can only guess at!

Considerations:

• Sheinkin doesn’t shy away from quoting historical figures’ profanity and foul language, although he uses asterisks in many instances. On the one hand, we cringe. But on the other, the language does help reveal the strain some of these leaders were under as they tried to figure out what the enemy was up to.
• Khrushchev is presented more sympathetically than I expected, but it is true that he was human and, no doubt, suffered the anxiety and doubt that Sheinkin accords him.

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 4 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Powerful Weapon by Steve Sheinkin is a must read for those who read—and enjoy—Fallout!
• A Resource: 20th Century Book List for Young Teens (a book list)
• A Resource: Browse more books by Sheinkin (that we’ve reviewed here on RR)

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