I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book covers various points in the history of the Cold War that led up to its end. It gives the reader information about the influence of the scientific community in the ending of the Cold War. There is also information about the various scientific advancements that had an influence.
While I feel like the title is a bit oversimplified, the information in the book is interesting and informative. It presents the reader with information and a side of the Cold War that is not typically presented. Because of this, I think that it is a good book for readers to learn more about this time period.
One issue with the book is that the different chapters jump around in time and topic in a way that does not make sense. It does not take away from the information too much, but it is an issue.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, although I must admit that it jumped around a lot. The first chapter was on the Incas, which to my way of thinking, has little to do with the scientific boycott that Mr. Colvin alleges caused the collapse of the USSR. It is possible that the boycott played a small role in ending the existence of America's greatest military threat, but President Reagan's SDI was the main force that brought the Russians to heel. This is demonstrated by the fact that Mr. Gorbachav asked Mr. Reagan to abandon SDI but did not request that the scientific boycott of Soviet scientists be terminated. Despite this fatal flaw in Avoiding Apocalypse, reading it will still be well worth your time.