Command and ControlCommand and Control
Score Modern
What it's about
Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, investigates how America has managed its nuclear weapons, through accidents, near misses, heroism and technological breakthroughs. At its center is one night in 1980 in Damascus, Arkansas, when a dropped tool punctured a missile silo's fuel tank, threatening a nuclear warhead. It asks the question of the nuclear age: how do you keep weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them?
Why it's worth reading
It was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in history. It's terrifying, gripping and deeply reported, a thriller that happens to be true.
You'll love it if you liked
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
The Best and the BrightestGood to know
It alternates between the Damascus accident and decades of nuclear history. It's long but reads fast.
By the numbers
- Readers87 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller36 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz2 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #102 of the 198 history books we rank
- #313 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #626 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Eric Schlosser
If you like this, read next
Between the World and Me
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Educated: A Memoir
All the Light We Cannot See
The Book Thief
AmericanahExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Command and Control worth reading?
Yes. It was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in history. It ranks #626 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Command and Control about?
Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, investigates how America has managed its nuclear weapons, through accidents, near misses, heroism and technological breakthroughs. At its center is one night in 1980 in Damascus, Arkansas, when a dropped tool punctured a missile silo's fuel tank, threatening a nuclear warhead. It asks the question of the nuclear age: how do you keep weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them?
How long does it take to read Command and Control?
About 16 hours (656 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Command and Control?
If you liked it, try The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin or The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam.