Acheson has dedicated the past decade to the nuclear disarmament movement as an activist, researcher, and expert. She sums up her experiences in this passionate, thought-provoking, and highly detailed look into the history of the call to ban the bomb, the creation of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017. Acheson covers key issues pertaining to nuclear weapons, strategically breaking down the arguments behind the weapons' manufacture and highlighting the racial, patriarchal, and capitalist motivations for their creation, deployment, and stockpiling. She also analyzes the socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural impacts nuclear weapons have on the world. Acheson smoothly and convincingly argues that nuclear proliferation is a global issue and must be discussed globally, setting the stage for her uniquely incisive discussion of the multigenerational “humanitarian initiative” in support of banning the bomb. This is a powerful and encouraging approach to an often overlooked concern, an informative work that will inspire readers to pay close attention to and even consider participating in the nuclear weapons disarmament movement.

Booklist

Ray Acheson’s Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy is a striking contribution to the literature on nuclear politics. The book explores how and why states and civil society actors came together to prohibit nuclear weapons. The book is a valuable tool for policy-makers, academics, students and activists alike. The tone is accessible and the narrative flows seamlessly. Acheson provides an excellent introduction to the complex intersection of power, gender and nuclear weapons, while setting out a feminist manifesto for change.

International Affairs

In Ray Acheson’s Banning the Bomb: Smashing the Patriarchy and Alexander Kmentt’s The Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: How It Was Achieved and Why It Matters, readers are offered two recent histories of the movement to change the discourse surrounding nuclear weapons and bring about the TPNW. The books offer unique but complementary views from two actors involved in the process.... Both would be enjoyable for general audiences interested in nuclear issues. More importantly, they should be read by those in the nuclear policy space, whether they support the ban treaty or not, because the arguments behind the movement have become part of the global conversation on the future of nuclear weapons and they are not going away.

Arms Control Today

With this book, Ray Acheson guides us through the collaborative processes that brought about the 2016 UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first legally-binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. Acheson is director of Reaching Critical Will, the disarmament programme of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

Peace News

This is a fascinating and much-needed dive into the ICAN movement and the history of Anti-Nuclear protest from the 60s and 70s to present day. A key strength to this story is the centrality of the author to the events reported, offering readers a pleasing participant observation angle to the events.

Kate Hudson, General Secretary for Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Activist

Written from the perspective of an activist who is intimately involved in the process of shifting the discourse of nuclear weapons from deterrence and national security to humanitarian considerations, this book is an excellent case study on how interests, identities, and norms can change—how these are socially constructed. The material from the author’s interviews with diplomats and activists provide essential strategies for effective campaigning

Kristen P. Williams, Clark University