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Command and Control
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 20 hrs and 33 mins
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Command and Control
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Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Command and Control, a ground-breaking account of the management of nuclear weapons from Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Read by the award-winning narrator Scott Brick.
A ground-breaking 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? Schlosser reveals that this question has never been resolved, and while other headlines dominate the news, nuclear weapons still pose a grave risk to mankind.
Command and Control interweaves the minute-by-minute story of an accident at a missile silo in rural Arkansas, where a single crew struggled to prevent the explosion of the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States, with a historical narrative that spans more than fifty years. It depicts the urgent effort by American scientists, policymakers, 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 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 men who designed and routinely handled nuclear weapons, Command and Control takes listeners into a terrifying but fascinating world that, until now, has been largely hidden from view. It reveals how even the most brilliant of minds can offer us only the illusion of control. Audacious, gripping, and unforgettable, Command and Control is a tour de force of investigative journalism.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- aa
- 08-06-17
One of the best books I've ever listened to.
Faultless narration.
Gripping topic.
I would highly recommend this book.
If you are considering it then just go for it. You won't regret it.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Goronwy-Wyn
- 27-03-19
Fascinating but terrifying.
Very well researched, a clear account of the nuclear missile history until 2013 hopefully the current men in charge will be responsible with the future.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dazza Razza
- 05-09-18
Outstanding nuclear narrative in non-fiction style
This book documents the American nuclear weapon development from World War II through to current days using the story of a damaged Titan 2 rocket to link things as various as Hiroshima, Curtis lemay, Bill Clinton and John Glenn. although it discusses intricate technical details of missile silos and nuclear bomb technology it does so in a way that is approachable and interesting as well as extremely enlightening as to just how tenuously nuclear peace was maintained throughout the Cold War and even today. The narrator has a great tone to his voice throughout and pace to the way the content is read and you get the impression that there is no false honesty in the facts as they are presented, due to the level of research and involvement of those who were around at the time that many of these decisions and technologies were developed. I feel that I am connected to the time and the errors that this history talks about, and the human side of nuclear warfare.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Robert Hunter
- 21-07-15
Amazing book
Would you consider the audio edition of Command and Control to be better than the print version?
I have read this and heard it and enjoyed both equally
What did you like best about this story?
The thread of the story kept me gripped throughout but it did go through the history well
Any additional comments?
A great book about an event I had no idea had happened. Very well told.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yossarian
- 08-04-17
What is the Command and Control? It's here.
What made the experience of listening to Command and Control the most enjoyable?
The book is well researched, no doubt. I'm not sure I like the 'device' of focusing on one disaster as a story to be interspersed with the actually history of what I was interested in.It didn't take anything away from the book other than possibly not being necessary.
Who was your favorite character and why?
General Lemay - what a guy! General at 34, sorted strategic air commnad - made himself lead bomber in the most dangerous missions.
Did Scott Brick do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?
Average.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I would like to have, the book is superb.
Any additional comments?
I found Scott Brick to be almost doing a bad impression of Adam West. I'm from the UK but very often I was totally aware he was acting - it rang false and took me out of the book. It was very consistent though, he wasn't all over the place, maybe if you are American it rings right in your ears and I'm just used to movie accents and that explains it. Fair enough - this history couldn't be more American!If you like the subject, and like me you get more time to listen than to read I'd fully recommend the audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N. Baller
- 31-08-19
Amazing
This is amazing, epic and scary.
An impressive and important piece of work. More characters and stories than Game of Thrones.
A brilliant book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Matthews
- 24-08-18
Well worth a listen.
Absolutely amazing book. Instead of a dull factual monologue the author has been able to keep the incredibly complex details interesting. A thought provoking listen. Congratulations to the narrator as well, at no point did his voice become monotonous even delivering a plethora of statistics.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Lyes
- 16-11-22
A brilliantly written book
What a brilliant book
Fascinating insight into the cold War
Some of the facts and stories absolutely staggering
I've read it once and listened to it 3 times on audible
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emmanuel
- 20-08-15
So many possibilities to blow us out of the sky
The book is a comprehensive account of the nuclear arms race and subsequent disarmament. It includes chilling accounts of accidents, mistakes, misshapes that let us know how close we all came to being obliterated.
The book is a bit long, but a good and easy to follow listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew
- 21-11-14
Fascinating insights
It's frankly incredible that we have never suffered a peacetime military nuclear disaster. I was fascinated to learn about the arms build up after 1945 and the terrifying policies of America and Russia.
The author goes into great detail to tell the history of nuclear weapons development and the many accidents that nearly caused catastrophe. If you like cold war history then you'll enjoy this one. Well worth listening to.
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1 person found this helpful