A Desperate Passion: An Autobiography

Our memories fade quickly. As recently as the 1980s, nuclear war seemed a very real possibility. Nuclear weapons in Germany pointed at the Soviet Union; similar missiles in Russia were aimed at Europe and beyond. The United States spent money on an outer-space shield to ward off attacking missiles. And people protested. Foremost among them was Helen Broinowski Caldicott, the first president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, who led an educated but passionate fight to slow the arms race and prevent worldwide catastrophe. Time has allowed Caldicott a measure of distance to judge her own affairs, and she does so in this book, which examines a loss of her personal life, her recollection of the struggles, and her unleashing of emotions during these "traumatic events."