Jonathan Schell

"From the Vietnam era to the war on terror, Jonathan Schell (1943-2014) produced a body of work as brave, humane, and consequential as any in the history of American journalism. His legacy rests especially on three books about the threat of nuclear weapons--'the gravest danger of our age'--and the changing nature of modern warfare. On the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Library of America brings together these essential works in one volume for the first time."--From jacket. Fate of the Earth: When Jonathan Schell heard all that loose talk about attainment of objectives in a limited nuclear war, it was too much for him. He did what all of us would like to do: he wrote a book. It's very pessimistic. The mere presence of all those weapons is enough to ensure that sometime, somewhere, someone is going to set one off. Schell makes sure all of us know the horrendous possibilities of a nuclear exchange & all the reasons for bringing such possibilities to a halt. Everyone agrees. The question is, how do we get these monsters under control? Abolition: Provides a lucid analysis of the issues that need to be resolved and the steps that need to be taken to eliminate the possibility of nuclear war. Unconquerable world: At times of global crisis, Jonathan Schell's writings have offered important alternatives to conventional thinking. Now, as conflict escalates around the world, Schell gives us an impassioned, provocative book that points the way out of the unparalleled devastation of the twentieth century toward another, more peaceful path. Tracing the expansion of violence to its culmination in nuclear stalemate, Schell uncovers a simultaneous but little-noted history of nonviolent action at every level of political life. His investigation ranges from the revolutions of America, France, and Russia, to the people's wars of China and Vietnam, to the great nonviolent events of modern times-including Gandhi's independence movement in India and the explosion of civic activity that brought about the surprising collapse of the Soviet Union. Suggesting foundations of an entirely new kind on which to construct an enduring peace, The Unconquerable World is a bold book of sweeping significance.