Command and Control

Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety

By: Eric Schlosser

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 20 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A myth-shattering exposé of America's nuclear weapons.

Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America's nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking account of accidents, near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs, Command and Control explores the dilemma that has existed since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do you deploy weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them? That question has never been resolved - and Schlosser reveals how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity still poses a grave risk to mankind. While the harms of global warming increasingly dominate the news, the equally dangerous yet more immediate threat of nuclear weapons has been largely forgotten.

Written with the vibrancy of a first-rate thriller, Command and Control interweaves the minute-by-minute story of an accident at a nuclear missile silo in rural Arkansas with a historical narrative that spans more than 50 years. It depicts the urgent effort by American scientists, policy makers, and military officers to ensure that nuclear weapons can't be stolen, sabotaged, used without permission, or detonated inadvertently. Schlosser also looks at the Cold War from a new perspective, offering history from the ground up, telling the stories of bomber pilots, missile commanders, maintenance crews, and other ordinary servicemen who risked their lives to avert a nuclear holocaust. At the heart of the book lies the struggle, amid the rolling hills and small farms of Damascus, Arkansas, to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States.

Drawing on recently declassified documents and interviews with people who designed and routinely handled nuclear weapons, Command and Control takes readers into a terrifying but fascinating world that, until now, has been largely hidden from view. Through the details of a single accident, Schlosser illustrates how an unlikely event can become unavoidable, how small risks can have terrible consequences, and how the most brilliant minds in the nation can only provide us with an illusion of control. Audacious, gripping, and unforgettable, Command and Control is a tour de force of investigative journalism, an eye-opening look at the dangers of America's nuclear age.

©2013 Eric Schlosser (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

A New York Times Notable Book of 2013

"A devastatingly lucid and detailed new history of nuclear weapons in the US...fascinating." (Time magazine)

"Schlosser's book reads like a thriller, but it's masterfully even-handed, well researched, and well organised. Either he's a natural genius at integrating massive amounts of complex information, or he worked like a dog to write this book. You wouldn't think the prospect of nuclear apocalypse would make for a reading treat, but in Schlosser's hands it does." Lev Grossman, Jonathan Franzen, The Guardian)

Very long, very engaging

What made the experience of listening to Command and Control the most enjoyable?

You might think that such a long book will end up being boring. For me, it was not. The history and detail of the nuclear weapons industry and it's politics is totally fascinating and horrifying at the same time. It's hard to describe what you'll hear in this book, but suffice it to say, I kept pulling my jaw up from my lap as he describes the mishaps and accidents of the nuclear program. A must listen.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I'd listen to just about anything he does. Fabulous voice, totally professional delivery. Very rare.

No fighting in the war room!

I learned quite a lot from this book, it read almost like an older Tom Clancy novel. The narrative of the Damascus incident paired with the overall history of our nuclear weapon program was a fascinating, scary, and sometimes humorous look into the Cold War. I would recommend to anyone looking for a solid history book.

Great story with much good information.

Scott Brick does a fantastic job of narration. The info contacted was an elaborate look at the United States command and control structure. I would recommend to anyone interested in American Nuclear policy.

Good read for an even you never hear about

I like the fact that this book told a story about an event that is rarely told. It is also a very detailed account of the history of nuclear weapons the United States as well as the command-and-control authority of the United States government. You never realize how easily a weapon could've been stolen before you read this book.

Challenging as an audiobook but good story

There is no pause between chapters and the storyline jumps around a lot. This makes it very difficult to follow. The narrator does a fine job, but how they put his recordings together is a real shame. More pause at transition points would have made a lot of difference in how easy it was to follow.
The story is very detailed. I think this one is better as a real book, but the audio version will certainly captivate your mind if you have the attention dedication. The author has done an incredible amount of research and put it into a format that makes you care about and identify with the people in the story.

Fascinating and informative

Learned a ton about nuclear weapons and the cold war. Interesting structure but maybe too much detail in the main accident story.

the scariest story I have ever listened to/read.

after listening to this book I went on Google maps earth view to see if I could randomly find missile silos. I found many of them in Wyoming even an old Titan site. They're still out there waiting to be used.

Mind Blowing Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
It should be required reading to obtain your drivers license, as its that important to every American, as I am convinced after listening to it twice, these scientists and military officers, are beyond incompetent, and may be responsible for over half of the cancer deaths world wide. Hey Folks, We have lost nuclear weapons out there!!!!!!!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?
The USAF men that gave up their lives in a silo, out in the Plains.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?
I believe Scott understands the extreme danger we are in right now, and his material was read and researched to convey the seriousness of the material in this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I have never read a book in which I said to myself, "What!" So many times, as it was mind jarring material.

Any additional comments?
Why does an American have to read a book to find this out? The Press are not doing their jobs.

Starts slow but gets good

The book starts out pretty slow with maybe the first 30% being about the politics and science behind the history of the development of nuclear weapons. This is good ground work for the stories of the various accidents that follow, but can be redundant if you're already familiar with that history. Once it gets going, though, the various accidents and issues it covers are astounding. It truly is miraculous there hasn't been a rogue nuclear detonation since WW2.

How are we alive

My God man, how are we even alive? I've read this book, watched the documentary (I suggest you watch) and read stories elsewhere and with each story I'm shocked the world hasn't ended. The Damascus incident was crazy enough but that's just not it, the author keeps going and going with endless detail and stories of accidents and mishaps. I highly recommend listening to this book, you won't be disappointed but you will be shocked.