Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath

With hurricanes, superstorms, floods, and snowmaggedons reported with increasing frequency, you’d think that every potential nightmare scenario would’ve been exhausted by now. But something just as catastrophic is lurking in the heart of America’s cities, and it’s a vulnerability that could lead to untold suffering in ways you might never have imagined. That catastrophe? A cyberattack on the nation’s power grid. Whether instigated by another nation, a rogue group, or even a lone hacker with the right skills, it’s a possibility that we are staggeringly unprepared for.

Lights Out is an in-depth investigation takes us not only into the embarrassingly ill-informed offices of government agencies tasked with protecting us in a crisis, but explores the energy grid itself, explaining the technology and just how tempting a target it is to dangerous outside forces. But Koppel, proving himself once again as one of the foremost voices in modern journalism, goes farther still, taking us to unexpected communities that might be best prepared to weather the storm. From doomsday preppers and survivalists to ranchers and Mormons, Koppel shares a cross-section of America that’s both intriguing and alien to most readers.

As horrifying as it is informative, Lights Out is something everyone should read.