Overview

"Conceived by a misguided government seeking to quiet the fears of an anxious public, the concept of the ""Family Fallout Shelter"" was Cold War paranoia at its finest, a massive bit of ""propaganda by architecture"" that has no more truth behind it than the absurd notion of ""duck and cover."" Inundated with government-sponsored films, posters, booklets, travelling caravans and exhibitions, the American family bought into the idea, investing millions of dollars in home shelters of every conceivable material and design. 'Bomboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People Into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack' lays bare the buried truths of America's family fallout shelter obsession. Author Susan Roy charts the panic-fuelled evolution of the shelter from a well-stocked basement pantry to a full-fledged (and often completely decorated) home addition, revealing through extensive archival photography, nuclear-era memorabilia, and previously unpublished media, a government and people in the grip of self-delusion. Fastidiously researched and sharply written, ""Bomboozled"" captures the absurdity and uncertainty of a culture that knew no better than to trust its government's message. AUTHOR Susan Roy is a writer and editor on architecture, design, and cultural history. The founding managing editor of Alluremagazine, she has also held senior editorial positions at This Old House, SELF, Good Houskeeping and Avenue. She holds a master's degree in architectural history from Columbia University; Bomboozled is loosely based on the subject of her master's thesis, ""The Family Fallout Shelter During the Cold War."" 200 colour, 100 b/w images"

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Susan Roy pairs illustrations with incisive commentary to reveal just how deluded we used to be about prepping for the all-too-thinkable nuclear attack. - O, The Oprah Magazine An enticing visual history of the fallout shelter, which allowed cold war anxiety to be cheerfully reconfigured as a home story and gave the phrase 'nuclear family' new meaning...a piquant analysis of nuclear housekeeping. - The New York Times Bomboozled actually does bring back lots of memories and a certain anger that we were so bamboozled by so many who had something to gain from our primal fears. The book addresses...how industry collaborated with government to scare the bejeesus out of us, and then convince us everything would be just fine - if we protected ourselves with expensive products. - The Atlantic

Susan Roy pairs illustrations with incisive commentary to reveal just how deluded we used to be about prepping for the all-too-thinkable nuclear attack. O, The Oprah Magazine An enticing visual history of the fallout shelter, which allowed cold war anxiety to be cheerfully reconfigured as a home story and gave the phrase nuclear family new meaning a piquant analysis of nuclear housekeeping. The New York Times Bomboozled actually does bring back lots of memories and a certain anger that we were so bamboozled by so many who had something to gain from our primal fears. The book addresses how industry collaborated with government to scare the bejeesus out of us, and then convince us everything would be just fine - if we protected ourselves with expensive products. The Atlantic

Author Information

"Susan Roy is a writer and editor on architecture, design, and cultural history. The founding managing editor of Allure magazine, she has also held senior editorial positions at This Old House, SELF, Good Houskeeping and Avenue. She holds a master's degree in architectural history from Columbia University; Bomboozled is loosely based on the subject of her master's thesis, ""The Family Fallout Shelter During the Cold War."""

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