"Engagingly written and full of fascinating stories…. Von Hippel’s memoir will be of value to anyone interested in the history of the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, and the relationship between science and public policy—and anyone curious about how informed citizens can make an impact on crucial questions of policy." —Matthew Evangelista, Cornell University 

Frank N. von Hippel shares his remarkable journey as a key figure in the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, illuminating the far-reaching consequences of nuclear accidents and the devastating impact of "limited" nuclear war.

Speaking out about the dangers of nuclear power, leading the opposition against plutonium breeder reactors, meeting with Soviet leaders and colleagues such as Mikhail Gorbachev and physicist and human rights advocate Andrei Sakharov, serving as chair of the Federation of American Scientists, von Hippel played a pivotal role in the nuclear freeze movement. He was also involved in establishing the in-country monitoring of the Soviet Union's unilateral nuclear test moratorium in the mid-1980s. His book offers an intimate look at the complex world of nuclear arms control from the 1980s to the present.