Advance Praise
“Only an experienced social worker with a heart for social justice could have written a thriller of this caliber. In a novel that challenges a radioactive core of secrecy, Dorothy Van Soest has deftly shaped a protagonist who balances integrity and idealism as she attempts to save lives and herself.”
— Carol Masters, You Can’t Do That! Marv Davidov, Non-Violent Revolutionary (2009), The Peace Terrorist (1994), Dear Descendent (2019).
“Some books entertain, some inform, some inspire. Nuclear Option does all three. This story weaves the lives of troubled, courageous, ordinary people who struggle to avenge and heal harms by challenging powerful corporate and government powers. Even more than most historical fiction, this is an exceptionally meaningful book for students, clubs, and study groups to discuss the timeless, universal question: why, what, and how are you willing to fight or die for?”
— Beth Brunton, Earth Care not Warfare
“Nuclear Option captures so well, especially in sleuth Sylvia Jensen, the brilliant and passionate peace and justice activists I have known over the years who are driven by heart and conscience to create the world we want to see. Kudos to Van Soest for conveying, in a bite-size and very personalized form that we can take in, the difficult and scary information about the nuclear threat we need in order to save the world.”
— Marybeth Gardam, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom U.S. Section Committee Chair, Iowa Women for Peace co-founder, Iowa PSR
“Few writers are more deft at intertwining mystery with social issues of urgent concern than Dorothy Van Soest. Nuclear Option, her latest novel, reunites that unlikely duo, Sylvia Jensen and J.B. Harrell, as they investigate how a lethal past, both personal and national, detonates into the present. With results that are explosive!”
— Carol Mossman, Author, The Narrative Matrix, Politics and Narratives of Birth, Writing with a Vengeance
“This thrill-packed Sylvia Jensen mystery reminds us of the costs the world has paid and continues to pay for maintaining nuclear arsenals that threaten unimaginable horror. Dorothy Van Soest immerses us in the world of ordinary people who won’t go quietly into oblivion.”
— Charlie Cooper, Democracy and Justice Advocate, Baltimore, MD
“Nuclear Option shines a light on a little known history of when the U.S. government conducted nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands and exposed military troops to radiation for research on its effects on humans. Van Soest’s novel follows the inter-generational family of an Atomic Veteran whose outrage at the results of his direct exposure leads to their persistence to hold the government accountable. Helping to guide the activism of father and son is the anti-nuclear activist Sylvia Jensen, who has her own struggles related to her involvement in the antinuclear movement. Nuclear Option is a love story and a thriller in its own right. Anti-war activists will be intrigued with the struggles within the antinuclear movement to find right strategies and the challenging ethical decision the heroine is compelled to make. The novel made me sad and angry and it also gave me hope in the courage and creativity of people confronting a historic injustice and the lessons they learned. Enjoyable and thought provoking; highly recommended.”
— Dan Gilman, Past President, Seattle Veterans For Peace
“How do you reconcile memories of the distant past with the realities of the present? This intriguing question structures this story of Sylvia Jensen’s journey from active anti-nuclear protestor in the 1980s to reluctant participant in the politics of the 21st century. Like the afterlife of nuclear fallout, passions from long ago linger in Sylvia’s life and lead her to relive unresolved decisions and pathways. In this fascinating mixture of memoir, fiction, and history, author Dorothy Van Soest guides us through Sylvia’s haunting encounters with people and events that force both her and the reader to wonder if we can ever stop challenging the selves we constructed so long ago.”
— Dr. Louise Krasniewicz, University of Pennsylvania. Author, Nuclear Summer: The Clash of Communities at the Seneca Women’s Peace Encampment
“Don’t start Nuclear Option unless you have sufficient time to read this absorbing and twisting mystery from the first page to the last! You will be pulled into an intricate plot that links the atomic tests of the 1950s and 60s, thousands of victims of those tests, and the inner workings of both antinuclear activists and the FBI. Dorothy Van Soest once again keeps you on the edge of your chair as you ride the curves and dangers of this stirring book”.
— Frederick L. Ahearn, Professor Emeritus and Former Dean, National Catholic School of Social Service, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
“During the 1950s and ‘60s, thousands of US military personnel were deliberately exposed to ionizing radiation from nuclear bomb tests. For years the physical and emotional suffering of these Atomic Veterans remained hidden, due to government denial and veterans’ initial reluctance to speak about their experience. Dorothy Van Soest’s engaging novel Nuclear Option makes that experience real through the interwoven lives of an Atomic Veteran, his son, and a social worker activist. Their painful struggles mirror the stories of actual radiation survivors and their supporters. The heartbreak of radiation’s genetic impact and the survivors’ powerlessness to protect their children fuel the outrage that drives the novel’s action. Mobilizing against the massive force of the nuclear industry, some intriguing characters enter the story. Ominous developments threaten a tsunami. But as the novel surges to a dramatic finish, we are left with a glimmer of hope.”
— Priscilla Ellis, Ph.D. co-author, “Atomic Veterans and Their Families: Responses to Radiation Exposure”. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 60 (3), July 1990
“I was brought up short by how much I identified with the main character in Nuclear Option. Sleuth Sylvia Jensen’s tortuous inner tension is captured in a vivid action-packed story with atmospheric detail that plunges you right into the middle of her friendships, romance and protests. A must read!”
— Betsy Bell, Author, Open Borders: A Personal Story of Love, Loss, and Anti-war Activism
Nuclear Option
Nuclear Option
A Novel
Dorothy Van Soest
Copyright © 2020 by Dorothy Van Soest
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission from the publisher (except by reviewers who may quote brief passages).
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First Edition
Casebound ISBN: 978-1-62720-291-6
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62720-292-3
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62720-293.0
Printed in the United States of America
Design by Natalie Labib
Promotion by Kyra McDonnell
Apprentice House Press
Loyola University Maryland
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Baltimore, MD 21210
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PROLOGUE
Journal of Norton Cramer
May 4, 1956
I woke up this morning thinking today was the day I would die.
It’s not that I’m afraid of death.