By: Pat Frank Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Harper Perennial Modern Classics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: July 01, 2005 Release Date: July 05, 2005
Reqd reading in High School I remember reading this in High School and I have been looking to pick it up for a re-read.
One of the books I remembered most I read this book in the early 70's, in Junior High School, in Florida. It was so real to me. These people were just like my neighbors. Their fears were the same. Their sense of community, the same. When reading this book, I kept looking to the horizon thinking, "Could this truly happen." A must read for anyone studying the times.
Crap characters, excellent setting and premise The best thing about this book is the setting. The descriptions of a post apocalyptic United States is excellent. It really made me think about what civilization means: law and order, running water, food supplies, transportation, etc.
The biggest flaw with the book is its characters. The character development is non-existent. Randy, the protagonist, is extremely bland. He has no flaws (well, he's a liberal) and a perfect leader.
The story is also extremely optimistic. Personally, I like a bit more cynicism.
Despite these two gripes, this is a great post apocalyptic book and a short read to boot. I'll never forget the descriptions of nuclear armegeddon as Randy and friends watch from their house.
Outdated? Did we read the same book? Some people say the book is outdated, but really, we are under the same dark cloud that was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Granted, the strike zones today would be different than those in the 50s, but Nuclear Warfare is a very real possibility. North Korea?! HELLO! This book was really a can't put down for me. I found myself wanting to start stockpiling food and move out into the mid-west. Not fantastical, and not too sci-fi, this book is a gritty realization of what would happen if the US was devastated by a large scale nuclear attack.
Better than I remembered Before I passed Alas Babylon along to my sons I thought I would re-read it. When I was a young boy and read it for the first time I really enjoyed the survivalist theme. I found a lot more to like on my second reading. Mr. Frank weaves several strong moral fables inside the basic survival novel that really "makes" the story.
Mr. Frank uses the nuclear backdrop for his most obvious morality lesson on racial equality. Nuclear war is a great equalizer. Set in racially segregated 1950s central Florida, he ensures all nuclear holocaust survivors work together, regardless of race, gender or age. For if they don't, there are immediate consequences. It is a strong and positive message.
The outcome of excess greed is also highlighted and dealt with harshly. Thieves are left to die of radiation poisoning because they stole radiated property.
The technical aspects, while dated, are still pretty good. The air-to-air missile that starts WW III is a little out there, but since it's just a small vignette, it's easy to forgive.
I look forward to my sons reading the book and the discussions it will conjure. From nuclear war to race relations to the drastic moral outcomes for greed, I think it will all be interesting and informative for them.
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