Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America

by Gail Jarrow

Gail Jarrow explores the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938. She highlights the artists behind the broadcast, the broadcast itself, the aftermath, and the repercussions which remain relevant today.

On the night of October 30, 1938, thousands of Americans panicked when they believed that Martians had invaded Earth. What appeared to be breaking news about an alien invasion was, in fact, a radio drama based on H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players. Some listeners became angry once they realized they had been tricked, and the reaction to the broadcast sparked a national discussion about fake news, propaganda, and the role of radio.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Historical, Juvenile, Childrens, American History

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

Gail Jarrow is the award-winning author of nonfiction books and novels for readers 8-18. Latest book: WHITE HOUSE SECRETS: MEDICAL LIES AND COVER-UPS. Visit GailJarrow.com.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would I have been "spooked" by the 1938 War of the Worlds radio play broadcast? Now we discussed said radio play in 1985 in grade twelve Social Studies, when we were covering 20th century history, including WWI and WWII, and when the majority of us scoffed and found it ridiculous and sadly hilarious that so many Americans seemingly panicked and thought that the earth was being invaded by Martians, our teacher made us listen to parts of said broadcast in class. And while of course we had the hindsight of knowing that this was indeed just a radio play and not reality, when we listened to it, yes, it totally did sound authentic and considering that the War of the Worlds radio play was aired in 1938 (with WWII just around the corner and the Nazis flexing their muscles), my classmates and I did kind of both understand the fear and confusion many people, many listeners seem to have felt and also just how amazing and true to life feeling Orson Welles' broadcast really was.

However, after now having read Gail Jarrow's Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America, it must be said that the author really does make it more than abundantly clear that especially the media greatly exaggerated its claims of mass panic and hysteria and that in fact and in reality, the majority of Americans absolutely seem to have realised and understood that there was not an alien invasion of Martians happening (that the "reports" on the radio were a dramatisation for entertainment) and that therefore, the entire mass panic and widespread fear scenario could if not should in fact be seen as a 1930s incarnation of exaggerated "fake" news, as while there were certainly individuals believing that the earth, that the United States was being invaded by hostile Martians, the estimation that there was a massive and all encompassing panic amongst the American population as a whole was both exaggerated and seemingly deliberately stoked by the newspapers.

A highly recommended and much satisfying reading experience Gail Jarrow's Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America has been for me (with a rather densely wordy narrative that I would probably not recommend to and for readers younger than eleven or twelve, and no, not at all due to the content presented, but simply because the author's text is pretty involved and makes use of some rather sophisticated vocabulary choices), with the supplemental information at the back, including the detailed source information and extensive bibliographies being much appreciated (like the icing on an already superb cake for me and yes, making Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the World Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America most definitely into a solid five star book).

[Abby Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Jarrow, I love you so. This is a fantastic and timely account of the 1938 radio dramatization of The War of the Worlds that sparked panic in many listeners. Hand this to anyone concerned about “fake news” or anyone who rolls their eyes upon hearing that phrase.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

I first heard of this radio production in elementary school, in one of those reading compilations, and my general impression was of mass hysteria and gullibility - for years. I read Getting It Wrong a few years ago, in which the author posits that this narrative was a result of sensationalist newspapers trying to limit an upstart new media; I found that terribly plausible and fascinating, but I largely forgot it: that book was only one source, after all, and I had years of vague historical impressions counting against it.

And then I read this book, which is really, really good. I think Jarrow outlines three things that contributed to the "gullible Americans" narrative. (Or maybe it's four: the show, in contrast to Orson Welles's expectations, was apparently fabulous and convincing.) 1. Sensationalist headlines sell newspapers, and newspapers on strict schedules don't look too closely at stories. (That woman who lied about her broken arm because she wanted her picture in the paper? The more things change...) 2. Newspapers were worried about that young new media form directly competing with them! 3. A Princeton study which I'd never heard of before, which surveyed 135 people, deliberately including 107 people who admitted beforehand that they'd been frightened by the show, assuring the public that their sample was representative and their results scientific. (They weren't.)

I also did not know that "The War of the Worlds" was written in program listings, or that it was announced at the start of the show, before and after the break, or to close the show.

This is all incredibly fascinating. Interestingly, I found the information parceled out confusingly, maybe to avoid taking sides? It's all there, though, and I like how Jarrow keeps the contemporary implications in mind while staying clearly in the historical nonfiction camp.

But my favorite parts are the excerpts she prints of letters sent to CBS and the FCC. It's amazing stuff. In fact, I'm tempted to track down these records and read them in full myself. Here's a taste:

"Perhaps if you'd put on your little play fifty years ago it would have been a joke but the way science has progressed in that time, surely nothing is impossible."

"This only goes to prove... that the intelligent people were listening to a dummy, and all the dummies were listening to you."

"We trust that the air was released from your auto tires and your windows thoroughly soaped."

"Don't people THINK anymore? My God, what the propagandists of the next war can do!"

"The American public got a slight taste of the fear which overshadows the people of Europe constantly."

"It shakes one's faith in democracy to think that such hysteria and panic can affect people who are supposed to vote intelligently next week."

"The infernal machines passed within a few blocks from my house... and I didn't think to step outside to see them. After New York was destroyed we all went to bed."

AMAZING stuff. The more things change...

PS: I need to find out more about Dorothy Thompson.

PPS: I'm still befuddled by the ventriloquism radio show.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4. 5 stars

An excellent look at a famous incident that breaks down what was true and what has become myth. Jarrow tells the story well, beginning with the story of the broadcast itself. Using just enough information to build suspense and a perfect use of Houseman's ironic quotes, Jarrow manages to keep the story moving at a fast clip. I loved how everything was brought together in the end too as the mythos built up around the prank is unpacked. It helps a reader's perception of our own time too to see the well compiled quotes from the array of letters sent to the radio show, all about the size of a modern day tweet. All around well done non-fiction.

[John Yingling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, enlightening, interesting read. The author does an admirable job in telling the story behind the radio broadcast, particularly regarding the contributions of Orson Welles and John Houseman. She discusses H.G. Wells' book and puts all of this in the context of the world in 1938, focusing on society, the world situation and people's fears and paranoia. And in this era of "fake news", this story is more relevant than ever. I also liked the many illustrations throughout the book as well as the comments from people who heard the broadcast, and the subsequent rumors that abounded afterwards. Even though this is considered juvenile literature, I highly recommend it to adults too.

[Michal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite recent reads! It's really short with lots of large text and pictures. It is way too similar to how people still react to fake news. Let's spread the word and go nuts instead of verifying facts! And blame someone else for me being an idiot! Super interesting!
Zoe and I are now listening to more Mercury Theatre productions.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jarrow sets the stage perfectly in this detailed, illuminating exploration of why ordinary Americans panicked when they heard a broadcast of New Jersey being invaded by Martians on Oct. 30, 1938. This was my official read for Halloween 2018.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting info about the screenwriters, voice actors, and the research/reporting of the incident after the fact.

(Also on a somewhat unrelated note… apparently there were ventriloquist acts performed over the radio? Just makes you think.)

The more you know! ᵀʰᵉ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵏⁿᵒʷ!

[Dee Dee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s incredible how history repeats itself in different ways.

[Tara Piña · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a potential class text about rhetorical techniques, I think it would be a great anchor text for those skills and great lead in for a conversation about fake news

[Kyra Nay · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age where false, misleading, and fear-mongering information spreads like wildfire over social media networks, often garnering more clicks, likes, and shares than trustworthy or verified information, the story of the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast seems eerily familiar. I really enjoyed two of Jarrow’s previous books – Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America and Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary – so I was excited to dive into this one and I was not disappointed.

The first chapter takes readers back in time, as people were tuning into a Sunday night radio broadcast, and provides important context about the mood of the country – exhausted by the nearly decade-long Great Depression, warily watching the ominous moves from an aggressive Germany in Europe, and recovering from an unexpected and devastating hurricane that had hit the East Coast only a few weeks earlier. Subsequent chapters introduce major players – Orson Welles, director and star, John Houseman, producer, Howard Koch, the script writer, and his assistant Anne Froelick, and H.G. Wells, the author of the original novel. In the week before the show aired, most of the cast and crew fully expected that the show would be a disaster – the writers had multiple 15-hour days, trying to update the script into the American setting that Welles wanted, dress rehearsals went poorly, and many expected that audiences would find the story boring.

Lime yellow pages mark the transition as Jarrow describes the show in detail, so that readers feel like they’re listening to the show. Jarrow manages to keep the tension and drama high; never does the description become dry or dull. She also includes helpful commentary – noting that the time announced on the show doesn’t match the actual time, for example –delineated by bold and italicized text.

The second half of the book explores the fall-out from the broadcast – while some people were genuinely frightened and believed Martians were invading, reports of panic were exaggerated by the media, with sensational headlines like “MILLIONS OF PEOPLE understood the broadcast to be REAL.” Newspaper editorials opined about the dangers of radio (their competition, conveniently), lambasted CBS for mixing “news and fiction,” and worried that the U.S. looked gullible, weak, and foolish as war brewed in Europe. CBS and FCC received hundreds of letters, postcards and telegrams (of the 600 the FCC received, about 60% were critical) and Senator Herring of Iowa pushed for a bill that would require radio programs to be approved by the FCC (it did not pass, thankfully). The final chapter explores modern parallels, like when the AP suffered a Twitter hack in 2013 and tweeted that President Obama had been injured in explosions at the White House. Although the AP removed the tweet and exposed the hack with 10 minutes, the stock market had dropped dramatically. The market recovered, but it showed the weaknesses in the system.

Lengthy and visually appealing backmatter includes a timeline, source notes, a selected bibliography, an index, and an especially great section called “More to Explore” with suggested books, films, websites, and podcasts about hoaxes, Orson Welles, 1930s radio, Mars and more. Overall, this book checked a lot of Sibert boxes – excellent organization, appealing subject matter, engaging visuals. It’s on the upper end of the Sibert spectrum, so it may also get noticed by the YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction.

October 30, 2018 will mark the 80th anniversary of the broadcast. It’s great non-fiction to promote this fall – slightly spooky, just the right thing for this time of year.

[Jeanne Morigeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating parallel between the advent of radio and current times: people then, as now, are encouraged to view and listen to things with intelligence and skepticism.

From page 82: "'It shakes one's faith in democracy to think that such hysteria and panic can affect people who are supposed to vote intelligently next week' -D.O'G., Notre Dame, Indiana."

"'Don't people THINK anymore? My God, what the propagandists of the next war can do!' -E.C., Hartford, Connecticut."

"'All this goes to illustrate the low mentality of the average listener. They do not see 1/10 of what they read. They must not listen to 1/2 of what they hear' -R.I., East Cleveland, Ohio."

From page 84: "An opinion column in the Boston Daily Globe said that the Welles broadcast revealed a fact many Americans didn't understand: Radio has the potential 'for spreading alarm to the unthinking or ill-informed.' To resist propaganda, the columnist continued, people need to apply a 'healthy skepticism' to what they read and hear."

From page 92: "'Perhaps you could educate people who are inclined to be nervous, to the fact that the little button that controls the dial will at a touch immediately tune out any programs they do not with to hear' -Mrs. M.P., Washington State."

From page 94: "Why did a fictional Martian invasion scare so many people? Orson Welles had his own theory, which he shared in a 1940 Saturday Evening Post interview. He thought that the previous two generations had been coddled too much because of 'mistaken theories of education.' In his view, 'the ban on gruesome fairy tales, terrifying nursemaids and other standard sources of horror, has left most of the population' vulnerable to scary stories and situations."

From page 96: "In the newspapers' rush to get out the daily editions on deadline, most of these articles [about the resulting so-called mass chaos] were printed before the reporters verified them. Many stories turned out to be exaggerations. Traffic on roads and streets was not unusual that night, casting doubt on accounts of tens of thousands of people fleeing on foot or in their cars... It's fair to say the broadcast fooled thousands of people, at least temporarily. But the press and the Princeton study painted a picture of nationwide mass hysteria. That led Americans to an inaccurate view of how their fellow citizens behaved. For eighty years, this false story has been repeated in textbooks, popular books, articles, and movies."

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A casual interest history of the most notorious radio program of all time timed to the 80th anniversary and clearly aimed at a young adult reader. There is some helpful background to the production that helps to put the broadcast into the context of Orson Wells' career, and how the lasting notoriety of the broadcast was a combination of a media obsession with the folly and careful image management by the people involved. It begs belief that Wells emerged blinking from the studio, entirely bemused by the fuss. He obviously saw the opportunity to seize the national spotlight, and he kept that attention for the remainder of his life largely by pretending to be baffled by the gullibility of the public.
The book suffers somewhat from a desire to be 'educational', assuming that the contemporary reader is unaware of what a family listening to a radio looked like, and oddly is missing primary references, opting instead for a lengthy series of now dead webpage links. Granted, this is aimed at a readership of iPad kids, but it gives the volume the feel of a textbook which is unfortunate. The coda in particular is disappointing, far less interesting than what came before and it always seems to be searching for an exit. The author's attempt to tie the original broadcast to the success of later stagings of the War of the Worlds to create panic are redundant and are due to the same willingness of the media to highlight sensational folly. In short, the book lacks a critical approach to it's own story and ends up repeating the same urban legends only at book length ensuring the myths a new generation of believers.
There is also undo and unproven weight given to the obviously rehearsed image polish Wells gave to his role in 'rescuing' the program script, which in his telling was boring and incoherent until he inserted his timings and vision. The premise that a radio company who had worked with Wells for years and been through this directorial rehearsal process weekly would be standing by in awe as he lengthened some pauses and with anxiety at his choices. These folks were professionals, and it beggars belief that Wells would tolerate anyone in his company who produced a garbage script or challenged his direction.
Fun and mildly amusing, but there isn't very much more that what is already common knowledge to anyone who knows how to open a Wikipedia page. Which is really where most of the intended readership will go anyway.

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this I wondered how anyone was fooled by this but then it dawned on me, we live in an age of alternative facts and fake news. We read it and are quick to share before checking the authenticity of the story.

The story of the infamous 1938 radio broadcast that convinced thousands of Americans a real-time Martian invasion of Earth was occurring could not be timelier.

Orson Welles and his collaborators were simply brilliant. I wonder how they would use their talents in the 21st century.

In an entertaining detailed narrative of nonfiction, I was riveted by this account of which I was just familiar. Jarrow chronicles how a radio drama based on H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players was broadcast on the night before Halloween. Even though it was stated four times, this is a play, the broadcast sent thousands of listeners who believed they were hearing breaking news about an alien invasion into a panic.

Researchers later found that fewer than one-third of the frightened listeners understood the reports to be about an alien attack. Many assumed the reports were about either a German invasion or a natural catastrophe. None listened long enough to hear one of four announcements made during the broadcast that it was a dramatization. After the play concluded, Welles and his producing partner, John Houseman, were shocked to learn about the reaction to their program. They thought their play would come off as boring.

The broadcast sparked a national discussions about propaganda, and the role of radio. Members of Congress proposed more government regulation of the medium. There is good discussion here as the author connects history to current events by comparing the phenomenon to contemporary fake-news controversies and ongoing freedom-of-press debates.

The text is complemented with archival photos of the broadcast and illustrated scenes from Wells’ original story.

In the author’s note, Jarrow says... The scenes in the book are based on primary sources and I have not embellished anecdotes or invented dialogue. I didn’t need to, the eyewitness accounts of people who lived it were fascinating enough.

(Nonfiction. 10-14)

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to review this non-fiction book because I taught War of the Worlds, the radio script, to my 7th grade English classes. I know excerpts are often included in textbooks and it can be a wonderful introduction to readers theater for students who are reluctant to read scripts.

The book has a little bit about everything in it related to the radio play. There's an excellent introduction, followed by biographies of: Orson Wells; John Houseman, the producer; Howard Koch, the script writer; H.G. Wells, the novel's author; and Anne Froelick, who transcribed the written script and made additions and edits of her own.

There's an excellent examination of the setting, in the midst of the Depression in the late 1930s. It recounts the explosion of the Hindenburg in New Jersey, which had been broadcast via radio news bulletins, as well as accounts of Hitler and Germany's actions and aggressions leading up to WWII. It explores how scientists had previously floated the idea of life on Mars, despite not having any real concrete evidence.

There's a great account of how the Mercury Theater folks planned to update and write the script, but the idea was initially rejected by Wells as being potentially "boring." It was then re-written (and students do need to hear more stories of how famous literary works get re-written) several times and finished right before the deadline -- about a day before they went on-air with it.

Then, there's an excellent account of the broadcast, as it unfolded, and the panic it caused. There's a fairly good review of opposing views that the radio show didn't really have that big an impact and much of the "panic" was hyped by newspapers and periodicals trying to sell copies.

It also briefly goes into other popular "hoaxes" of the late 1800s to early 1900s, and there's an excellent timeline and annotated list of online and other resources for students to explore.

I offer additional FREE teaching resources for the radio play on my blog, The Fabric of Words, https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems, looking back into the dim recesses of the past, that a language arts teacher played the recording of the Orson Welles radio broadcast for us in class at some point. If you haven't heard it yet, you can find it online in a variety of places from YouTube to Audible. But what Gail Jarrow does in this book is trace the path of Welles to the Mercury Theater's time on air and their performance of The War of the Worlds. An excellent timeline in the back matter covers all the major steps along the way.

The narrative gives details of the major players in the adaptation and performance, the social setting (the Great Depression, the American fascination with radio, and fears based on Hitler's rise in Europe), and the reaction and aftermath of the broadcast. Images show the performers, families listening to their radios, headlines, excerpts from letters and telegrams sent in by listeners, and even a photo of the commemorative plaque from Grovers Mill. Illustrations from a 1906 French version of the H.G. Wells book are used to great effect as the radio broadcast is described.

Back matter has a lot to offer for readers who have their interest piqued. There is a section offering websites, DVDs, and books on the broadcast, Welles, Mars, other famous hoaxes, and related fiction. An author's note explains the process Jarrow used to research and write this account. Source notes, a selected biography, picture credits, and an index round out the helpful material.

In this day of fake news and the need for information users to practice discernment and a healthy level of skepticism, this is an amazing example from American history on what happens when people blindly accept media at face value. This book would be a solid way to launch a unit on vetting information sources and hoaxes in general. It is also a great gift for sci-fi fans or anyone interested in broadcasting and media careers.

I read a review copy provided by the publisher.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War of the Worlds broadcast on October 30, 1938 was the ultimate in fake news. Orson Welles and John Houseman created a radio program that fooled the country into believing martians had landed in New Jersey. Gail Jarrow does a fantastic job setting up this pivotal moment in history. She explains the importance of radio to an audience who probably never listen to the radio. She sets up the people involved by describing not only Welles and Houseman and their radio programs but also the original novel by H.G. Wells. She explains how Welles and Houseman thought this was going to be a boring show and worked to jazz it up. They came up with the idea of news bulletins interrupting a regular radio program and reports from the field. They had no idea the reaction their show was having amongst the listening public.

Where Jarrow excels is showing the mixed reactions from the public. She includes actual reactions and letters from people of the time. Many were fooled, but probably not as many as was originally reported. Some people heard the intro to the program and realized it was a story. Others figured it out because of the leaps in time in the program. Others went to the scenes and realized nothing was going on. But many people panicked and fled the cities or flooded their local police and radio stations with calls. When the program was revealed to be untrue, many people were irate. 

Even though this story took place nearly 100 years ago it still seems relevant in today's atmosphere of fake news. It is amazing how easy it is to be fooled by news that seems real. Many are not taught to question or investigate today and take what they read online at face value. It is frightening. 

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this flying home from the ALA conference, the new hard copy clutched protectively through all the bounces, take-offs and landings and it took me right into the 1938 broadcast that set the world talking. This book couldn't be more timely as it depicts the original fake news event although it was never meant to deceive, merely to entertain as a Mischief Night tale.

Jarrow tells this enlightening and oh-so-relevant story by taking the readers through the creation, production development and actual broadcast of the War of the Worlds adaptation while providing the simultaneous account of what was happening outside the studio as listeners encountered and often misunderstood the newscast style production.

How much panic actually occurred and how people reacted during and after the program and how the press reported it is a fascinating part of the story. The connections to our current time are so obvious that young readers will not be thinking about anything but this book for weeks after they read it.

The book itself is immensely immersive and fascinating with outstanding archival photographs and ephemera to further expand the reading experience. Two of my favorite sections are experts of letters written to CBS and the FCC after the broadcast by both supporters of the show and outraged listeners.

Exemplary back matter includes a Timeline, Source Notes, an Author's Note, bibliography and a section called More to Explore that I am itching to spend time checking out. This gem of a book has endless uses in the classroom and can lead to extensive discussion. Nonfiction at its best.

[Douglas Summers-Stay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I found this book in the children's section, and it is aimed at maybe a bright 13-year-old, I found it very well-written, engaging, informative and well-researched. When I first heard about the Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast, I was told that the whole country had panicked. Later I read that that was false, that it was all just newspapers blowing things out of proportion. But this historian really did her homework, went to primary sources, and got the true story: at least thousands of people were fooled. The book contains many quotes from specific individuals who fled town, armed themselves, or otherwise took action because they believed the broadcast was real. Phone lines at the network and local police stations were overwhelmed with people trying to verify the story or call loved ones out of fear for their lives.
The book wraps up with a discussion of fake news and an extensive annotated bibliography. It is heavily illustrated, mainly with photos and reproductions of Correa's incredible 1906 illustrations of the original book.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so interesting. If you're interested in "fake news" or not, I think you'll find something to be fascinated by in this book. It looks at the War of the Worlds broadcast of 1938 and the widespread panic that followed--or did it? It examines how stories become part of our collective consciousness even though they may not be true. And it shows how uncritical people can be of sources with even the thinnest veneer of believability.

I'm going to bring this on my book talks to 5th graders this year. I'll be curious how they'll react. I think for the right kid or teen this would be a fascinating read that they would really love.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have heard about the radio broadcast causing some to panic, I admit to not knowing many details about the event. I really enjoyed reading about how the radio broadcast was prepared, the events of the broadcast, the "panic" (though it wasn't as widespread as I'd believed) and the results of the radio broadcast. I found the last chapter about hoaxes especially interesting.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard the "War of the Worlds" broadcast for the first time in 1988, fifty years after it played over America's radios. It was hard for me to understand how anyone believed it to be true, but after reading this book, and placing the event in its historical context, some of the fears made more sense. Enlightening, and a fascinating look at American culture.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not personally big on nonfiction that's presented in this format (and my students don't tend to gravitate towards it either). Even so, this was interesting & informative coverage of a topic that I didn't previously know much about.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting and timely! Middle grade nonfiction always feels like it's written riiiiiiiiight at the right level for me to understand.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard the story about the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast that supposedly terrified the nation... and I've also heard plenty of sources debunking it as a hoax blown out of proportion. This book, while aimed at younger readers, is a great rundown of the broadcast's history -- its creation, production, the reactions of listeners, and the aftermath. And it looks at how hoaxes are created and perpetuated, whether accidentally or on purpose.

In 1938, radio was the main source of news and entertainment, and the Mercury Theatre was one of many shows that audiences could tune into. Actor Orson Welles would present a dramatized adaptation of a work of literature during that time... and in October, he decided they would present an adaptation of HG Wells' The War of the Worlds. To make a more dramatic show, he changed locations in the source material from British towns and cities to American, and included fake news broadcasts for authenticity. This made the show a little TOO authentic -- thousands of Americans fled their homes, called loved ones, or rushed to the scene of the "UFO crash" to fight the invaders, not realizing it was all a show. And the aftermath would have citizens calling for the end of the show or even government control of the airwaves...

This book is a fascinating account of how the special was made, and the (completely unintended) effects it had on the American populace. And although it didn't have the ENTIRE country panicking, there WAS a significant reaction, made worse by the impending war in Europe and people's anxiety over it. It also shows how newspapers grossly exaggerated the fallout, even blaming injuries and deaths on the special (the fact that radio was proving to be a significant competitor to newspaper surely couldn't have been a factor, could it? *sarcasm*)

And this book is rather relevant today -- not just because of the recent War of the Worlds adaptation either. In an era where hoaxes and fake news can be rapidly spread through the Internet and are made worse with AI-generated images and video, this book shows that misinformation both accidental and intentional have always been a part of society, and we as consumers of media need to learn to be media-literate to separate fact from fiction. And that calling on the government to regulate everything is a bad idea...

This is a great account of one of the most infamous media hoaxes of all time. And now makes me want to track down the original broadcast and listen to it. YouTube, here I come...

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my read of Sibert Winners and Honors.

This book really for all ages was published in 2018. It described the famed radio broadcast of War of the Worlds and the panic it may or may not have caused. This broadcast wasn't a hoax. It was an announced radio play. And growing up in NJ I've known about this broadcast as long as I can remember. The book is fascinating. It describes the people involved and other things they did. And then how the radio play was developed over a period of a week. The expectation is that it was going to flop, that it was going to be boring. And people responded. Though its unclear how many people actually responded. This book implies it may have been blown out of proportion (perhaps thousands and not millions). The afterword material is a little weak.

But the final statement was strong and timely - reminding people to be wary about what is true .and what is not

[Amber M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously heard of the "War of the Worlds" panic but didn't know all of the details behind it. I found this book to be very good at explaining what was going on. It also made me go listen to the original broadcast to see how so many people could believe that Martians were attacking America. In addition, this book shows how people need to think for themselves and check their sources so they do not fall for hoaxes in the future. I think this message is very important especially in an era where you can share anything at the click of a button.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow was a fun and fascinating deep dive into the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. I’d heard for years how it caused mass panic, but after listening to the recording myself, I didn’t quite get the hype. This book helped reveal how, especially how the timing and pacing of the broadcast led people to miss the disclaimers. I also appreciated how it broke down the role of print media in exaggerating the public reaction. Bonus points for the behind-the-scenes look at the actors and Orson Welles.

[Jim Standridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as a present. Thought it was well put together and entertaining. It's the story of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast in 1938. Lots of interesting information about the show and peoples reactions to it. The book might have been aimed at a school-age audience but at 67 I still enjoyed it. Lots of pictures, some letters from fans and not-so-much fans. Quick, easy, fun read.

[Ben Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard sell with the 6th graders. Nonfiction is typically that way, but this book was pretty tedious. From an adult perspective, I did find that the book has something to say about our modern way of doing news, issues of censorship, and the infectious nature of social media. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend that teachers use it, or if they do, use portions of it.