Notes from the Library #2: WWZ: Behind the War

World War Z by Max Brooks

So, here we are, we have learned how to prepare and what to do if a zombie attack occurs and now we are sent into the future where this has actually happened. We start off with some accounts of odd occurrences in Asia before things start to get out of hand and before we know it, zombies are in small segments throughout the world with Asia now dealing with a horde. Before long, this becomes the case over much of the planet as zombies get the upper-hand on many populations. Once this happens you get to find out how the leaders of the countries deal with this unthinkable occurrence.

In the beginning of the book, we find out that the author is an expert on WWZ who travelled around the world in the aftermath of the war gathering data and stories about the event. He compiled it all for a report to the government. However, after looking at the report, they told him to cut out all of the personal stories and just leave the numbers. He was irate as they wanted him to cut out the very humanity that separates us from the undead. However, it was quickly pointed out to him that the numbers were what was needed for the report and nothing was keeping him from publishing the stories on his own, so that’s what he did.

He continued travelling and bringing in more stories from around the world to add to his oral history of the zombie war. The book organizes these stories in somewhat chronological order from talking to a former doctor and a human smuggler in Asia to a submarine crew, an astronaut on the International Space Station, a young Palestinian boy who took refuge in Israel, and a soldier in the battle of Yonkers, NY among many others.

This is a great book and exactly what I was hoping for after reading the Zombie Survival Guide. The stories are great and help you to track what was going on in the war as occasionally the interviewee will talk about other areas of the world along with their own immediate situations when discussing what happened.

It is hard to go too in depth here as these are just pieces of the puzzle to give you a small insight into what happened in this fictional war. However, a couple dozen stories still stick out in my mind weeks after reading. This was a really good book that I would highly advise to anyone who enjoyed the Zombie Survival Guide and to anyone who enjoys watching or reading about zombies, the undead, or the supernatural.