Rhodes, Richard. Arsenals of folly; the making of the nuclear arms race.

RHODES, Richard. Arsenals of folly; the making of the nuclear arms race. Read by Robertson Dean. 11 cds. 14.25 hrs. Books on Tape. 2007. 978-1-4159-4329-8. $120.00. Vinyl; content notes. A

Rhodes's detailed look at the nuclear arms race from the 1940s to the end of the 20th century is as frightening as it is fascinating. He begins with a dramatic recounting of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 and its aftermath. His description details the destructive power of nuclear energy. The Russians tried to downplay the accident, but the news quickly spread around the globe and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev finally had to admit to the world that the disaster had occurred. From there, Rhodes plunges into the nuclear arms race between the US and USSR and the struggle for nuclear superiority through each American president's tenure, concentrating on the Reagan/Gorbachev era. The listener may feel like a "fly on the wall" as the meetings between these two world leaders are often reported in the first person, and these descriptions will satisfy the curiosity of anyone who ever wondered how top-level meetings are conducted. The author follows the end of the nuclear arms race with a discussion of the waste of resources for weapons that neither side planned to use. Listeners will shudder at the number of times that a USA/USSR nuclear conflict almost broke out. They will also speculate on how the enormous sum of money spent on the nuclear arms program could have been used in other areas. The text is written in a conversational style that will hold the listener's interest. Dean's excellent narration is like a distinguished journalist reporting the events in a serious, no-nonsense style that will stir a range of emotions from fear to incredulity. Prof. John E. Boyd, Jenkintown, PA