Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Reviewed by: Sarah Baker, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Classic Fiction, Apocalyptic
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Randy and Mark Bragg knew war could come; Mark worked for Strategic Air Command and could see the writing on the wall. He and Randy discussed what would happen when it came – Mark’s wife and children would come live with Randy in the Fort Repose, Florida home the brothers grew up in. Randy would know it’s the big one if Mark sends the code “Alas, Babylon.” When the message comes Randy does the best he can to prepare. Within 24 hours, the Cold War tensions ignite when a US pilot fires a missile at a plane but hits a Russian military installation instead. Shortly after, both sides have launched their nukes. Communications are limited, and the news they can get says nothing about the situation outside of Florida. Fort Repose becomes an island, spared from the surrounding fallout by quirks of geography and weather. Survival becomes key. But can you survive something like this while keeping what makes you human?
My Review: This book came highly recommended to me by Nick, the Circulation Manager, and I’m glad he did. Originally published in 1959, it feels oddly relevant of late. But the nuclear war is secondary to the characters and their struggles. The day to day things we take for granted like running water, electricity, and even food become struggles that can mean life or death for the folks of Fort Repose. Even with 24 hours notice, Randy can’t get nearly enough things together to keep everyone fed and safe. Some folks, like the Henry family, were a little better off because they raised animals for food and planted gardens. But others, like the McGoverns and the Braggs, never did more than fish and had to learn skills from scratch. The Day (as it is known) breaks down barriers or class and race. People become valued for their skills and abilities. (A nice point of the book – the library and librarian become indispensable. With no TV or radio, books become the primary entertainment. And with the help of books, people learned what plants were safe to forage and how to hunt and prepare animals they hadn’t considered food before.)
What I enjoyed is that it never became grim and dark. Bleak at times, but considering the nature of the disaster, expected. These people did their best to take care of each other, and didn’t let their decency and kindness die. And the only big instance of violence was dealt with as it needed to be. Well worth your time.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Haunting, Plausible, Hopeful
Give This a Try if You Like… Fallout (videogame series), the Mad Max movies, Deathlands series by James Axler
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.