Strasser, Todd. Fallout
10 September 2013, Candlewick Press
E ARC from Netgalley.com
It’s 1962, and Scott’s father has built an addition onto
their house, and included a fallout shelter underneath it. In alternating
chapters, we see what life is like for Scott during this time period—his friend
Ronnie’s parents are much more progressive than his own, he and his friends
hang out and steal a cheesecake from a neighbor’s garage freezer—and after a
bomb is dropped and Scott’s family and several others make it into the shelter
and have to stay there for a week. It is awfully grim in the shelter because
Scott’s mother has been badly injured. There is little water, inadequate
ventilation, and very little food. To make matters worse, Mr. McGovern is ready
to send both Scott’s mother and Janet, a black woman, out into the
post-apocalyptic landscape because there isn’t enough food. Eventually,
supplies run low enough that the group decides they will try their luck out of
the shelter—only to find that the trap door has been blocked and the group may
be trapped.
Strengths: This is one of the better books about the Cuban
Missile Crisis era that I have read. The group in the fallout shelter gave a
weird immediacy and survival quality to the book, set against the every day
life before the group goes into the shelter. Details are very vivid, and it’s
obvious that Strasser lived through this time period. (In fact, there is a
picture of the house where he grew up and a description of his visiting it and
the fallout shelter recently!)
Weaknesses: There are some weird, uncomfortable and
unnecessary descriptions of things of a sexual nature that may well cause me
not to buy this—Ronnie is obsessed with women’s breasts, both boys are
interested in Playboy (which Ronnie’s dad reads in front of Scott in the family
room!), and there is a weird discussion of homosexuals. All ring true for the
era, but seem especially awkward now.
It's about the Cuban Missile Crisis but not really. Most of the story takes place removed from that reality as it happened. While the violence was believable, it was disturbing. Especially contrasted with the sexual aspects of the story. I also found the ending unfulfilling.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the audience is for this book. I'd never recommend it for my middle schoolers. It's YA appropriate but it's also so dark and slow. As adults we are familiar with the events that occurred but they are ancient history to today's teens. I'm afraid I'm scratching my head over this book.
Will you be recommending it to kids?
I will not be recommending this to my students. I will not be purchasing it because if the sexual content.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads'-up. I ordered this for Children's but will move it to Young Adult as soon as it arrives.
ReplyDelete