Level 7

 Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald

I was concerned when the introduction droned on a while about why this book was so important and that the author chose "fiction" to better communicate his ideas. Luckily, the book itself was well written and did not seem problematic. In the book, "Level 7" refers to the 7th level beneath he ground. This was the most secure fallout shelter. The "button pushers" are located there. They will be the ones that will push the button to nuke the enemies if hostilities break out. There are resources to sustain life for hundreds of years down there. The higher levels have greater populations of gradually decreasing importance.

The structure of the novel is the journal of one of the inhabitants of Level 7. At first he doesn't realize why his there. He gradually learns and steadily adapts to the monotony of life underground with the repetitive music and bland food. They picked people with few attachments in the world, however, they do allow the people in this level to get married. Eventually the time comes and the buttons are pushed. They learn the world has been mostly destroyed. Some of the "button pushers" struggle with their role in the operation. The non-belligerents suffer almost immediate destruction. The belligerents each claim victory. However, those on the upper levels soon fall ill and die due to radiation poisoning. The sickness gradually comes down to the lower levels. The 7th level is initially preserved. Alas, the nuclear reactor powering the level starts to leak radiation leading to their poisoning. The book has a grim warning of the futility of nuclear war.