Originally published in 1985, Living with the Bomb was written as a sequel to the best seller Depression: The Way Out of Your Prison. The human species is facing extinction, not merely from nuclear war but also, and perhaps more likely, from the destruction of the resources of the planet. Is it possible for us to change? To organise a peaceful, sharing society? To live in a world without enemies – and so to avoid extinction as a species? Dorothy Rowe outlines the painful process of change which all of us, all nations, races, creeds, will have to undertake to establish the forgiveness and reconciliation necessary to secure the continuation of the human race.

Many people know about the peril threatening us – but many deny it. Dorothy Rowe describes the forms this denial takes and the effects such denial has on those defending themselves in this way. She shows how certain basic beliefs about human nature and the purpose of life, beliefs held by many people, undermine our determination to protect ourselves. She argues that to become and remain a person we must be a member of a group, and that we create ourselves and our world out of structures which, when threatened, we defend with aggression. We perceive and define only in terms of contrast, and the contrast to our group, the Stranger becomes the Dangerous Stranger as a necessary repository for aspects of ourselves we have been taught to reject and deny.

Although the world’s focus may have changed since 1985, the themes that run through this book are still very relevant for society today.