by Gilbert King
First published 2004
The nuclear threat lurks closer to home than most Americans realize. King exposes the shocking vulnerabilities in our defenses against radiological weapons, revealing how easily terrorists could acquire and deploy dirty bombs. From a teenage Boy Scout who constructed a working nuclear core behind his house to Chechen separatists who planted an actual dirty bomb in Moscow, the book documents real incidents that demonstrate our perilous situation. King investigates missing Russian suitcase bombs, unaccounted warheads converted for radioactive payloads, and the disturbing ease with which bomb-making knowledge spreads online. The government struggles to catch up while security gaps remain enormous. King argues we may need to shift resources from prevention to aftermath management, given how far behind we've fallen in the arms race against nuclear terrorism.
Genres: american, political-science, action, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: gritty
Setting: Moscow, Russia
Period: 21st-century
140 pages · Paperback · Chamberlain Bros.