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A review by brandypainter
Fallout by Todd Strasser
3.0
2.5 stars
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Fallout by Todd Strasser is an alternate history in which the Cuban Missile Crisis ends with an actual atomic bomb going off in the US. It chronicles the days a family and some of their neighbors spend in their fallout shelter following the blast. I was intrigued by the concept, but have mixed feelings about the result.
The book alternates chapters back and forth between before and after. The odd chapters tell the story in the shelter, the evens the story of life in a 1960's neighborhood.
The 1960's neighborhood story is an excellent work of historical fiction. One of the finest I've seen of the era. There are some scenes in which the neighborhood boys discuss sexuality in a way that may be disturbing to some young readers. Scott's best friend is always talking about wanting to see girls naked and he goes so far as to call Scott a "homo" at one point. Then tries to explain what that means. It is spot on accurate type of conversation for the time period, but I'm not sure it is entirely necessary for the purposes of the book. I would not use this with my students younger than 7th grade, and even then I would be careful. I don't know that students much older than that would find it engrossing though.
The fallout shelter scenes have all the urgency and danger of dystopian fiction. Kids who like those type of books will be drawn to the story in this one. It is all about the struggle for survival as food runs short, water supplies are scarce, people are scared, and some are injured. I feel like this section sort of focused on the worst humanity has to offer rather than the best. The characters read more as caricatures than real people. Even the main character Scott always seemed distant. The book overall seemed more about the ideas and history than about the people, which is not the type of story I enjoy as much.
In the end this book wasn't the right fit for me as a reader, but I know there are many out there who will appreciate it. The writing is strong, the concept intriguing, and the plot engaging.
Warning for Concerned Parents: There are some discussions of sexuality that may be disturbing for younger readers.
I read an e-galley provided to my the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. Fallout will be available for purchase September 10.
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Fallout by Todd Strasser is an alternate history in which the Cuban Missile Crisis ends with an actual atomic bomb going off in the US. It chronicles the days a family and some of their neighbors spend in their fallout shelter following the blast. I was intrigued by the concept, but have mixed feelings about the result.
The book alternates chapters back and forth between before and after. The odd chapters tell the story in the shelter, the evens the story of life in a 1960's neighborhood.
The 1960's neighborhood story is an excellent work of historical fiction. One of the finest I've seen of the era. There are some scenes in which the neighborhood boys discuss sexuality in a way that may be disturbing to some young readers. Scott's best friend is always talking about wanting to see girls naked and he goes so far as to call Scott a "homo" at one point. Then tries to explain what that means. It is spot on accurate type of conversation for the time period, but I'm not sure it is entirely necessary for the purposes of the book. I would not use this with my students younger than 7th grade, and even then I would be careful. I don't know that students much older than that would find it engrossing though.
The fallout shelter scenes have all the urgency and danger of dystopian fiction. Kids who like those type of books will be drawn to the story in this one. It is all about the struggle for survival as food runs short, water supplies are scarce, people are scared, and some are injured. I feel like this section sort of focused on the worst humanity has to offer rather than the best. The characters read more as caricatures than real people. Even the main character Scott always seemed distant. The book overall seemed more about the ideas and history than about the people, which is not the type of story I enjoy as much.
In the end this book wasn't the right fit for me as a reader, but I know there are many out there who will appreciate it. The writing is strong, the concept intriguing, and the plot engaging.
Warning for Concerned Parents: There are some discussions of sexuality that may be disturbing for younger readers.
I read an e-galley provided to my the publisher, Candlewick, via NetGalley. Fallout will be available for purchase September 10.