Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II

Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II by Evan Thomas

The United States had an atomic bomb. Japan was still fighting. Should the bomb be used to end the war? This book explores the decision made by American and Japanese to end the war. There was a delicate balance made to help allow the Emperor to end the war without losing power. Did the bombing save lives? Maybe? But situations also changed. Fire bombing or an invasion may have been worse for both sides. Dealing with Japanese culture and an unwillingness to surrender was a huge challenge to navigate when ending the war. The Russian involvement was also forthcoming. This book brings in the "bigwigs", but the big focus is on the underlings that are steering policy. It provides a different view of what led to world-altering decisions.

The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche

The most deadly avalanche in the US occurred at Wellington, Washington in 1910. At that time rail travel was considered generally safe. The railroads had extensive snow clearing equipment, and people were comfortable taking the train even in heavy snow storms. 

Many passengers had boarded the train in Spokane, expecting an eventful trip to Seattle. However, the weather was not cooperating. The snow kept going down. There was so much snow that the snow removal machines were jammed. And the snow kept coming. It was decided to park the passenger train (and a mail train) on a siding at Wellington. Some people had had enough of this and decided to leave the train and hike away through the snow. That ended up being a wise decision. The snow on the hill over the train train track loosened and came down in a massive avalanche, pushing the trains over hundred feet down the hill. Some people survived, but most of the train occupants had died.

There were lawsuits. Some blame was placed on poor labor conditions as well as bad decisions on the positioning of the train. A past forest fire that had removed the tree cover was also a contributing factor. However, in the end, the primary cause was deemed to be an unpredictable act of nature. The train line suffered some small avalanches later. They renamed the town of Wellington to "Tye" to remove the bad association. Eventually, a longer tunnel was built to avoid some of the worst parts of the line.

Farewell, Summer

This was Bradbury's "farewell" novel. A bunch of boys growing up in Illinois don't want to grow up. They are waging "war" on the old people. They eventually come to the conclusion that "time" embodied by the town clock is the enemy.

The boys hang out in the ravine near their houses and participate in their "war", forsaking some junk food and eventually stealing chess pieces. One boy's grandpa eventually talks some sense into them, and they return the pieces.

The boys are gradually growing up and their "war" days are coming to an end. They decide to visit a haunted house. Most of the boys are scared. However, one boy stays and meets a girl there. She plants a kiss on him. After that, there seems to him to be an explosion of girls everywhere in the city. He later goes to talk to his main "enemy", an old bachelor. They have a nice conversation, and start to explore some of the big questions of life.

The boys also go to a display of the origins of life. They freak out when they see one display looks like a dead fetus. It then dawns on them that the previous displays may also be "human" and not jellyfish.


This was originally part of Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. However, it was cut off and published much later in life. It shows the relationship between the old and the young. Bradbury even mentions that he would love to sit back and listen to everything that the the seniors would have to say about life. The story presents a tale of "growing up." Everyone is growing. The fetus display showed initial growth. The boys are gradually maturing. Even the old man must come to terms with his life and decide to make friends. Life is about growth and change.