Watermelons Not War!
A Support Book for Parenting in the Nuclear Age

Publisher:  New Society Publishers
Year Published:  1984
Pages:  160pp   Price:  $12.95   ISBN:  ISBN 0-86571-032-5
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX4281

Abstract: 
Five mothers who formed, first as a support group, them become a book-writing collective, produced this handbook. They were concerned as individuals and parents about how to deal with the despair they felt as a result of the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, and about how to talk with their children about nuclear threats to their future. In addition, they were concerned about how to begin to transform the world into a safe and nurturing place for all children, and they wanted to learn more about radioactivity and how it affects the lives of children. In doing research for this handbook they wanted to be able to answer their children's questions about the world and to reach out to others who might be feeling the same way. They wanted their work to tell each reader that s/he is not alone and powerless.
Some of the questions they try to answer are what is it like to be a child in the nuclear age, what are some of the fears of children, how can we tell them the truth about the world without frightening them, what are the social myths that burden them and what new myths can we give them. The book is divided into five parts: parenting and dealing with despair or the Heart of the Matter; Nuclear Realities; Alternatives, such as changing our lifestyle or technology; Taking Action for the world We Want; and Visions of the Children.