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Friday, October 14, 2011

Review: World War Z by Max Brooks




The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time.World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War. (From Goodreads)




World War Z is an oral history of what happened in various parts of the world when the zombie epidemic occurred.  It’s called a world war because that was the response necessary to save humanity.  All of the earth’s population was under attack, animals too.  Only with an all out effort could the zombies be eliminated.  Also the psychological effect of “winning” a war was something humanity needed.  When you have been beaten down and brought to the brink of extinction by a tough to kill, mindless enemy, a victory goes a long way. 

These oral stories were collected from every corner of the globe, mostly from armed services personnel or other front line fighters.  The storyline of the book evolves from when the first cases were discovered to the “victory” and aftermath .  Events in between are also covered, such as how people fled, a major ground battle outside New York City, and  how government responded.  That last bit is quite shocking, but it makes sense.  The one bright spot is that at some point, the world government realized they had to work together, to a degree.  I’d like to say there were specific stories that struck a chord with me. However it was the entire book and it’s plausibility that stays with me.

Forget it’s a zombie apocalypse and think of it as an infectious disease outbreak instead.  The initial outbreaks are hushed up by the government, public panic and all, and everyone involved is silenced.  This information can’t get out.  When it does eventually reach mainstream media, it’s a byline story on the news.  Let’s face it, the news really isn’t news anyway; around the few lines of actual news, are plenty of celebrity information and what your neighbor tweeted or said on Facebook.  People don’t really pay attention to the news anyway.  So this outbreak is brewing, and before you know it, people are sick, there’s no food on store shelves, you grab your guns, etc.  This is a worldwide crisis; society will start to break down and tough decisions are going to have to be made.

I liked this book so much, not only because of its plausibility, but Brook’s ability to get me to empathize with each and every story teller; even the gentleman who comes up with a plan to save the small populations that are left.  It’s quite a gruesome plan but someone has to say it.  Brooks captures the behavior of people and government quite well, and this book provides the reader with plenty of food for thought.  Zombie apocalypse, nuclear war, flu epidemic, regardless of what it is, society will break down.  What would you do?  I’m not saying come up with a plan, but maybe we should pay more attention to the world out there, and hold our news organizations and governments accountable for providing us with actual information instead of just fluff.

My Rating: 95/100


Publisher: Crown Publishers
Genre: Dystopian, War
Hardback 342 pages
Book Source: borrowed from the library

Comments (21)

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Sounds amazing and frightening.
1 reply · active 700 weeks ago
Disturbing.... definitely disturbing. I forgot to mention that.
This sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for the suggestion.
1 reply · active 700 weeks ago
Not a light read but a page turner for sure.
A movie is being made right? Hm...will wait for that one ;)
1 reply · active 700 weeks ago
YES! �with Brad Pitt in the lead role�
I will have to recommend this to my boyfriend, it is something he would like. He enjoyed the Zombie Survival Guide, so he would most certainly enjoy this.
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
I didn't read the Zombie Survival guide but it's on my list. He would def like this one then. I guess he also watched the Walking Dead on AMC as well?
This does sound disturbing. Interesting though. I hadn't heard if it until now.
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
Very disturbing, but I could see how these scenarios could happen
This is one of those books that I'd only pick up on a recommendation. Thanks!
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
Your welcome. Certainly not something one would seek out on their own :)
I do believe that you would really get along with my youngest Marc. He loved this one and has all the books written by this author. He's spent a lot of time figuriing out an escape plan in case Zombies ever make it to our house!
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
Hey, hey, somebody has to get you and your books out the door! But since you're up North you'll probably have an easier time than me. I'll meet you up there :)
Tell Marc I love his book choices :) and never forget to double tap. He will know what that means.
This sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'm a fan of post apocolyptic/zombie stories. Theres something so bleak and distrubing about them that makes them hard to forget. I'll have to look out for this one.
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
Then you would surely "enjoy" this one. There were several accounts in there that I cannot forget, even though they were fictitious.
Jason's best friend loaned this to him to read but he never did. Now I wish I had read it!!!
As for the news...Most people only want to hear 1.easy things or 2. things they already agree with. It's sad.
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
Aw you guys blew it!! You could always wait and watch the movie and then read the book. See how they compare.
The news....drives my hubby and I crazy. WE hardly ever watch the local news anymore. The interwebs have the info we need.
Every time I see this book I think about picking it up. I'm really interested in it and your super positive review really makes me want to read it! I don't know what's keeping me for reading it, I think it's just because the book is already so popular.
1 reply · active 699 weeks ago
This book was on my list for a while, and then with the fall and the brad pitt mocie coming eventually, I figured I should jump on it now. �October is zombie season :)
I think this is being made into a movie with Brad Pitt. I was actually thinking about listening to this on audio -- it sounds like it would be a great read for this time of year.

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