The Energy Crisis

School Library Journal

ea. vol.: 47p. charts. diags. photogs. re prods. bibliog. glossary. index. (World Is sues Series). CIP. Rourke. 1987. PLB $10.95. Gr 5-7 These books survey familiar ground but are heavilyand sometimes disturbinglyillustrated. Brown outlines the technological development of nuclear arms from Enola Gay 's flight over Hiro shima to modern ``dial-a-yield'' tactical warheads, and also follows the course of international nuclear policy, which has gone from MAD (Mutual Assured De struction) to NUTS (Nuclear Utilization Targeting Strategy). He mentions the Reykjavik conference and concludes with a vague plea for mutual understanding be tween the two sic superpowers. Gibson shows the importance of politics in deter mining how we use and derive energy. He briefly describes alternate energy sources and concludes with a preachy chapter called ``Attitudes to Energy.'' About half of the photos, paintings, and charts in both are in color, and both include a few stomach-wrenching shots of Hiroshima injuries, Chernobyl, a seal killed by an oil spill, and the like. Use these to introduce less colorful but more detailed discussions such as Weiss' Nuclear Arms Race: Can We Survive It? (Houghton, 1983) and Fo gel's Energy: Choices for the Future (Watts, 1985). John Peters, New York Public Library