Dayla Learning

Summary: 

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 zombie apocalyptic horror novel written by American author Max Brooks. It is broken into eight chapters—"Warnings", "Blame", "The Great Panic", "Turning the Tide", "Home Front USA", "Around the World, and Above", "Total War", and "Good-Byes"—and features a collection of individual accounts told to and recorded by an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, following a devastating global conflict against a zombie plague. The "interviews" detail the experiences of survivors from different walks of life and all over the world, including Antarctica and outer space, and explain the social, political, religious, economic, and environmental changes that have resulted from the crisis.

World War Z is a follow up to Brooks' fictional survival manual The Zombie Survival Guide (2003), but its tone is more serious. It was inspired by The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two (1984) by Studs Terkel, and by the zombie films of George A. Romero. Brooks used World War Z to comment on government ineptitude and U.S. isolationism, while also examining survivalism and uncertainty. The novel was a commercial hit and well received by most critics.

Instructor Note: 

World War Z is a landmark horror classic that explores how we respond collectively to crises, especially ones that we don’t understand or are prepared for. Written a few years after 9/11, this book is one of many media responses to the permanently changed condition of the United States and its relationship to the rest of the world. 

This book is structured as a series of short vignettes told in a retrospective style as key figures from the fictitious zombie war reflect on their past. It is a nonlinear type of story that offers a learning opportunity to assemble a narrative from multiple parts, which builds critical thinking skills. 

The author, Max Brooks, has since been invited to give numerous lectures and presentations about disaster preparedness and how to think outside the box when planning for future crises. 

This is also a book that may be better experienced through the audiobook, as the cast are all established and prominent actors who brought their talents to make the story come alive. As an “oral history,” this format is especially appropriate.  

Be sure to get the “complete edition” of the audiobook, as the original was heavily abridged. 

(Note: even the “complete edition” does not have every vignette from the print edition,  however it will be the basis for the reading guides for this course)