Those
of us we have been
true readers all our life fully realize the enormous
extension of our being
which
we owe to authors.
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)
| April 2007 |
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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks Review by Gerry Gritzmacher |
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The son of Mel Brooks has written a hilarious and biting fantasy covering the "history" of humanity's war with the by-product of Communist China germ research, the zombies, in World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. The book consists of interviews with survivors of the war from around the world. Exploring how various cultures and countries dealt with the zombie menace provides the real enjoyment of the book. For example, Israel, with their excellent intelligence service is the first country to react to the menace. Their plan is a combination of a strict quarantine and a plea for all Palestinians to return to Israel to help in the battle. The success of their quick response is tempered by the civil unrest caused by Israel's orthodox citizens’ displeasure at allowing the Palestinians to return. The United States government takes forever to react, being slowed by a citizenship still tired and divided from the last war. We eventually had to retreat to the west coast and try to defend ourselves with a military built, as always, to fight the last type of war we fought. The genius of the book is the telling of the story through the recollection of both ordinary people and leaders throughout the world. The stories of computer barons and Hollywood moguls who suddenly have to learn from their immigrant maids and gardeners how to grow their own food and become more self-reliant are both sad and funny, while the stories of the humanity and heroism of all types of people in saving the world is thought provoking. Gerry Gritzmacher works for AEA 267 as a special schools' principal and is an avid reader of all types of books.
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