Description
Friendly Fallout 1953 is a hybrid work of literature that combines the actual history of aboveground atomic testing in the Nevada desert in 1953 with fictional vignettes that explore the impact of the tests on the people who participated in them and on civilian “downwinders.” The book brings to life a turbulent era when Cold War fears, patriotic enthusiasm, scientific progress, and unacknowledged political agendas often collided with the welfare of ordinary citizens and the environment.

Reviews
“Friendly Fallout 1953 expertly and eloquently recounts the drama of atomic weapons testing in Nevada through the voices of colorful characters (a secretary, a soldier, a physicist) who seemingly have little in common beyond their unfortunate location in time and space. As the chronicle unfolds, however, the author deftly weaves their stories into a patchwork quilt of doom that captures our imagination, pulls at our heartstrings, and not so subtly warns us of the damage that can be wrought by those charged with our protection.” - A. Costandina Titus, author of Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics

“If you weren’t there, Ann Ronald’s vivid Friendly Fallout 1953 will put you there at the dawn of the atomic age to understand the start of the nuclear fix we’re in today. Through an impressive combination of fictional techniques and historical research, we experience the wildly exciting, secretive, sexy, and purblind year on the Nevada desert when atomic tests like Annie, Dixie, Nancy, and Dirty Harry lit the sky with radioactive blasts and mushroom clouds that were both horrific and gorgeous. This innovative book illuminates Ann Ronald’s importance as an outstanding writer about the American West and the American environment.” - Frank Bergon, author of The Temptations of St. Ed and Brother S.

“Ann Ronald has done a superb job of bringing to life the drama and stark reality of the atomic era. Through her unique way of blending fact and fiction, of inventing characters and situations against a historical backdrop, she has succeeded in creating a compelling and believable narrative. From the Mormon housewife to the radiation specialists, Ronald has managed to take a very complex and opaque true story and make it into a clear and accessible tale. Her characters are well-drawn, her handling of the ambivalent motives of patriotism and distrust is impeccable, and her well-paced structure flawlessly moves the story forward.” - Sally Denton, author of The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America, 1947–2000

"Ann Ronald...has masterfully told the story of an atomic slice of the year 1953 in a way that should capture the imagination of all Americans." - Bookin with Sunny (click here for the full review)

“Ann Ronald compellingly evokes the test explosions in all their terrifying magnificence and explores the diverse and sometimes conflicting emotions of a generation that saw atomic energy as its best protection against the horrors of another world war.” -- Nevada Magazine