Ted Koppel's intensely researched book presents a scenario that trumps dystopian novels about zombies and plague--because this threat is real.
I've been pondering this review for over a week. If a cyber attack on the electric grid resulted in widespread, lengthy outages, the consequences would be catastrophic. Koppel's interviews with experts in many fields, governmental and private industry, make this clear. Many believe it is a when, not an if, possibility.
I was impressed at how readable the book is. The first section gives a lot of technical information that was sometimes a little slow, but related some of the problems in enough detail to make things clear--like the aging transformers, the expense of obtaining new ones and/or backups, how long it takes for an order for a new transformer to be built and delivered, the problems with transporting them.
A few of the consequences of extended power outages (a week, a month, or more): communication is difficult, if not impossible, as cell phones run down and can't be recharged; no computers will be working--and what government agency or private business doesn't run on computer today; no running water and the concurrent problem of sanitation; food supplies and pharmacy stock can't be re-supplied; medical machines down; fuel runs out. Our society depends on this infrastructure.
More than one review of the book has commented on the lack of solutions to the problem of a lengthy power outages. True. For most of us as individuals, there is not a lot that we can do to prepare for a really lengthy black out. Hopefully, the book will stimulate more thought and more action on the part of governments--local, state, and national.
I enjoy dystopian novels, but Lights Out is not a novel and is thoroughly documented. I found it both interesting and informative.
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Since November is nonfiction month, Lights Out might be a good nonfiction choice. A lot of blogs have been pairing fiction and nonfiction books. An interesting fiction pairing for Lights Out is One Second After by William R. Fortschen. While the book is about the consequences of an EMP attack and Lights Out is about a cyber attack on the electric grid--the effect is the same, loss of every technology that depends on electricity.
I read it in 2013, and it gave me a lot to think about. Here is an excerpt from the book description of One Second After:
"Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. In the tradition of On the Beach, Fail Safe and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future...and our end."If One Second After was "cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read," maybe Lights Out will result in some action.
Sidebar: One of the consequences of a lengthy outage in a city like New York is that there is no way to evacuate that many people. Yet there will be movement of millions of people, refugees leaving heavily populated areas. To get an idea of what that might be like, think of the Syrian refugees flooding small European towns and the challenges of caring for them.
Links to Interviews/Articles about Lights Out:
Chicago Tonight The Washington Post PBS CBS News
NetGalley/Crown Publishing
Nonfiction. Oct. 2015. Print length: 290 pages.
Makes me want to put solar panels on my house ASAP. Just yesterday my husband and I were discussing how one might be able to hook a bike up to a battery and charge the battery while getting some exercise. Both books sound good and seem like they provide plenty of food for thought!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple of things lately about using an exercise bike to charge a battery. :) Since you and Bookman are cyclists, it would be great for you, especially if it could be done with the bikes you already have. We've talked about solar power off and on for years, but have not done it. As Koppel mentions we (as a nation) tend to be reactive rather than proactive. And some large scale proaction is required for an emergency like having a grid down.
DeleteSome things are just good ideas for simply being self-reliant and being conscious about how we treat the ecosphere.
I found One Second After a very thought-provoking book. ( And a little scary, too.) And I really want to read Koppel's book. He came to Salt Lake City when he was writing it (which is where I live), so that makes me want to read it even more. But I don't like the fact that our nation is so vulnerable to this kind of future possibility. Great review!
ReplyDeleteOne Second After made me think of all the skills that have been lost. We are so dependent on our technology and the transportation of food from distant locations.
DeleteYes, Koppel's information about the Mormon's sophisticated disaster plan could provide a template for local or state governments, even if it isn't designed for the effects of having the electric grid down. But the expense of preparation is enormous, especially when starting from scratch.
It really does make you stop and think--and worry. I have thought about solar panels just as Stefanie has, but I'm still not sold on them--their efficiency and effectiveness, especially not with the companies who are peddling them. The neighbors on either side of us have them as do several other homes in the neighborhood. We can't even come close to affording them anyway, even with the rebates and "deals" the solar companies are offering. We get calls from solar companies daily--they don't fall under the Do Not Call registry evidently. I wish they did because they won't stop calling even when we say we aren't interested. Power companies are seriously looking into finding ways to charge people who do use solar panels--evidently it's something they can do since those with the panels are still on the power grid.
ReplyDeleteWe've had questions about the solar panels and the companies that sell them as well, which is one reason that we have not been able to commit to the expense. We don't get calls from them though--thank goodness. The bigger problem is that in the case of the kind of emergency Koppel suggests everything else would be down. I'm not to the point of stockpiling food and water for months or more, although evidently a lot of people are. This kind of emergency would call for more than what an individual family could do. It would require foresight and planning by local governments and all the way up to the national level to be able to cope with all of the consequences.
DeleteGreat pairings! I hadn't heard about Ted Koppel's book but it sounds frightening.
ReplyDeleteLights Out was really interesting. Our vulnerability to cyber attacks is nothing new, but the book really puts some unpleasant facts in your face.
DeleteGreat review, Jenclair! It's a frightening thought but one can never predict what'd happen in the near future. Lights Out seems like a must-read and definitely a subject worth thinking about.
ReplyDeleteThe world is so dependent on technology to keep the infrastructure running!
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