...For a more hopeful take on nuclear war (The Road alluded but never actually stipulated that it was a nuclear catastrophe), watch "Jericho" on DVD.

Jericho, being within the constraints of network television, had its shortcomings. But I think its scenario of limited nuclear attack in which some cities are bombed (23 in the Jericho scenario) and the rest of the country is profoundly affected but not entirely without resources and hope, is less implausible than The Road.

I read The Road in one day on a camping trip. A beautiful sunny day -- it was a helpful antidote to the book's unrelentingly grim landscape.