Enjoyed this book very much. It’s well-written and fast-moving, with enough twists to make it very clever. All in all, it’s a fun read that allows you to wade into some heavy issues at whatever depth you’re inclined to engage.The story provides unique spins on a very familiar historical event by viewing it from atypical points of view . Rather than relate the Cuban missile crisis as a game theory exercise among American and Soviet leaders, the main characters are two sets of women without formal power. Yet the way they respond to their circumstances, galvanized by their priority to protect their children above all else, is anything but powerless.This book tees up numerous issues of class and race in ways that are integral to the women’s stories and to the plot as a whole. It addresses social rights, constraints and taboos (ranging from physical access to physical attraction) within and beyond the characters’ cultures, races, genders and economic strata. In doing so, it also makes you ask yourself how much has remained the same since 1962.The author’s ability to tell a tight story while covering a vast number of perspectives is impressive, and there are points at which I felt she answered questions emerging in my mind before I’d even realized I had them. For instance, knowing that the missile crisis was ultimately averted, it’s easy to wonder whether the main characters are overreacting in their response to the threat they face. But the weaving of two Japanese atomic bomb survivors into a key subplot affirms that the Cuban and American mothers had an accurate grasp of the magnitude of the stakes... which ultimately should re-focus us all on those stakes. Again, how much has really changed in terms of keeping our children safe from powers, events and people beyond our control, nuclear and otherwise?At points, this book reads like a feminist espionage thriller, but it’s much more. The settings come alive visually, and the characters are well-drawn both as individuals and as studies in contrast across a range of personalities, motives and loyalties. Courage and sacrifice meet hubris and other personal weaknesses, and most of the many secrets and betrayals in this story are not easy to pass verdicts on. It all seems to have strong cinematic potential... I’d love to see it as a well-made movie.