Above us silence

Über uns Stille (Original title: The Bomb ) is the title of a book for young people by the American author Morton Rhue .

Table of contents

The action takes place in the USA in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis . It is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old teenager named Scott, whose father built a nuclear bunker in case of a nuclear attack. In contrast to the actual course of the Cold War, the United States is attacked and Scott and his family flee to the bunker. Although Scott's father tries to prevent this, some neighbors manage to get into the bunker. The plot alternates between the time before the attack and the experiences in the bunker. In addition to acute problems such as food and water shortages, group-internal conflicts and tensions are in the foreground. The novel ends with leaving the bunker, whether the bunker occupants survive or e.g. B. dying from atomic radiation is left open.

Characters

Scott Parker

Scott Parker is the son of Richard and Mrs. Parker and the brother of Edward Parker, whom he calls Sparky. Until the attack he is supposed to represent something like the "average teenage". In the bunker he is usually quite quiet and reserved. The book is written from a first-person perspective from Scotss' perspective.

Edward "Sparky" Parker

Edward, nicknamed "Sparky" by Scott, is Scott's younger brother and is portrayed as the "annoying little brother of the older teenager", which underlines the image of the "average family". In the bunker he is usually fearful and reserved.

Richard Parker

Richard Parker is a good father who goes out of his way to protect his family. He initiated the construction of the bunker and made a number of preparations for the nuclear strike . In the bunker he takes on a leading role and continues to try to protect his family by all means.

Mrs. Parker

Prior to the attack, Scott's mother, Mrs. Parker, behaved relatively average and the reader did not learn much about her personality. She does not agree with the bunker because the family is teased and ridiculed for it. She is injured in the attack and is unable to communicate in the bunker. The reader does not find out whether she survived.

Reviews

• “Über uns Stille” is a book that encourages reflection and empathy. The Cuban Missile Crisis may be a thing of the past, but nuclear weapons are still a hot topic, so the story has a haemorrhage that gives you goose bumps.
• “Über uns Stille” is an age-appropriate novel for young people because it picks up on the most important key points and, despite some seemingly illogical passages, addresses important aspects that I can warmly recommend. It is never wrong to remember how precious every moment of peace is and that every nuclear power plant and nuclear weapon in the world is one too many, because these could end our peace instantly!
• A really well-written and well-researched novel that dares to tackle a difficult topic and a historically extremely complex epoch. Another novel by the author of "Die Welle", which is just as brilliantly written and examines human abysses.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Above us silence . Review on privatkino.wordpress.com.
2. ↑ Review on leselustleseliebe.wordpress.com.
3. ↑ »What if the third world war had taken place?« On jugendbuch-couch.de.