Survival City: Adventures Among the Ruins of Atomic America explores the strange, often hidden landscape left behind by the Cold War in the United States. From underground bunkers in West Virginia to nuclear test sites in Nevada, the book traces how an undeclared war reshaped the nation’s geography and imagination.
Structured as a travelogue, it follows the American Interstate system—an infrastructure project deeply tied to Cold War planning—to uncover abandoned facilities, proving grounds, and fallout shelters. Along the way, it reveals how cities prepared to be nuclear targets and how architects, planners, and officials tried to design for survival in the shadow of mass destruction.
Blending history, cultural commentary, and on-the-road reportage, the book examines what remains of the atomic age today: its physical ruins, its invisible legacies, and the fears and fantasies that guided the second half of the twentieth century. It offers a compelling look at how everyday places were shaped by strategies for a war that never officially began.
Highlights
- Explores Cold War bunkers, test sites, and secret facilities across the U.S.
- Shows how architecture and urban planning responded to nuclear threat.
- Combines travel writing, history, and cultural analysis.
- Reveals the lasting imprint of the atomic era on American landscapes.
