cover image Living with the Bomb

Living with the Bomb

Dorothy Rowe. Routledge & Kegan Paul Books, $10 (243pp) ISBN 978-0-7102-0477-6

The authora clinical psychologist in Englandprobes how people react to the possibility of nuclear warfare and outlines a path of change all humans must take to prevent annihilation. Aided by political cartoons, a chatty, fluid style, and a host of personal and professional anecdotes, Rowe maintains that most of us are aware of the peril of the bomb, but choose to deny it, an ultimately dangerous reaction because it guarantees isolation. The only salvation, Rowe argues, is to break out of the conventional ""us'' versus ``them'' mentality, and think in terms of ``salvation of the planet.'' There are insights here on sexual stereotypes, aggression, language, and even on Ronald Reagan's belief in the apocalypse. Unfortunately, the volume's central focusthe bombbecomes muddled in helter-skelter organization and facile antidotes to destruction. November