The Bibliotaph: Book Club Discussion: Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Unsure of what your next book club read should be? Not sure how to get a good discussion started during book club? Don't want to waste time finding "inspirational" quotes to share with your club? You've come to the right place. We've got you covered. Today's Book Club Discussion is centered around Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.

Why should this be your next book club read?

This has a fascinating and somewhat dated view of nuclear warfare and it can bring up interesting discussions of how conversations around nuclear warfare have changed or how some of the science mentioned by Frank was not entirely accurate.
It's not your typical sci-fi - it's very much centered around the "what if" of nuclear apocalypse and after that, it's just people trying to make it work. Plus, since it doesn't have a ton of sci-fi tropes, readers who don't usually enjoy sci-fi will be more likely to enjoy this.
This book is wholly centered on what people would do if the world were to end - and it makes for a personal read so you can put yourself in the character's shoes and wonder how you'd survive.
This is a great start to talking about emergency preparedness - a topic which some people are really passionate about and which other people know almost nothing about. But this book will definitely motivate your readers to get thinking about preparedness.

Author information: (taken from HarperCollins' website) Pat Frank (1908–1964) is the author of the classic postapocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon, as well as the Cold War thriller Forbidden Area. Before becoming an author, Frank worked as a journalist and also as a propagandist for the government. He is one of the first and most influential science fiction writers to deal with the consequences of atomic warfare.

(taken from the Florida Backroads Travel Blog) Pat Frank was born Harry Hart Frank in Chicago in 1908 and died in Atlantic Beach, Florida in 1964. He is not well known today as one of the leading Florida authors of his time, but he really was.
He spent some of his life living in Tangerine, Florida, a small rural community a couple of miles south of Mount Dora.
It was here that he wrote his best selling novel, Alas Babylon. This novel immediately gave him recognition as one of the most famous Florida authors. He wrote this novel about survivors of a nuclear holocaust during the peak of the Cold War in 1959. Many Americans were required to read it in high school or college. The novel is a classic story about how people cope with disasters and deal with the darker side of human nature. Many observers believe that the novel's fictitious town of Fort Repose is actually based on Mount Dora, Florida. After attending the University of Florida for two years, Pat began his career as a reporter at the Jacksonville Journal in Florida. He later worked for the New York Journal and the Washington Herald. While with the Herald, he became very knowledgeable about government and world affairs, and eventually became a government consultant. Like an early Tom Clancy, he had an ability to portray government secrets in a very realistic way. When World War Two ended, Pat started a full time career as a writer.

Book inspiration: (taken from Grade Saver) Alas, Babylon tells the story of what would have happened if the Cold War did result in a nuclear attack, set entirely in the small town of Fort Repose, Florida, which is based on the real city of Mount Dora, Florida. The novel was published in 1959, making it one of the first apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age. To this date the novel is still extremely popular with science fiction and apocalyptic literature fans. The name of the book is taken from the Bible passage Revelation 18:10.

According to Frank himself, a simple question asked by a friend inspired this work. "What do you think would happen if the Russkies hit us when we weren't looking—you know, like Pearl Harbor?" Frank's recent experience working with the government and military during the World War II meant that things of this nature were constantly on his mind, and he used his expertise while writing this novel.

Setting information: This series of articles on Pistolville (a town just outside Mount Dora, FL, historically occupied by poor black workers) help give more context to the racial and socioeconomic setting of Alas, Babylon and how the area has changed in the past few decades.

Discussions questions:

Before the bomb, Lib tells Randy 'I think you ought to go to New York or Chicago or San Francisco or any city with character and vitality. You should go to work. This place is no good for you, Randy. The air is like soup and the people are like noodles. You're vegetating. I don't want a vegetable. I want a man.' How does Randy change after the Day? What opportunities are available to him in a post-bombing society that were not available to him pre-bomb?
When this book was published in 1959, many women were confined to the home and to specific occupations. While many women in this book are employed or have been educated, their opportunities are limited. How are their opportunities changed after the Day? Are there broader spaces for women after the Day or are their opportunities more limited? Are these opportunities different for each woman?
After the Day, the library becomes an important part of society in a way that it wasn't before. Today, we rely on the internet far more than we do on books. Do you think people today would utilize the library in the same way as characters in the book do? Are there other ways to learn available for people today to use?
Missouri and Malachai are an important part of the Randy's group and contribute and benefit alongside everyone else. However, in 1959, they would not have been part of white society except as laborers. How does the Day change their place in society? Does the Day put them on a level playing field with everyone else, or do they still have to work twice as hard to have a place in society? Is racism still as prevalent in their new society as it was in their old one?
Today, we know that nuclear bombs will likely destroy all electronics. However, in 1959, this would not have been widely known. Given this information, would things have changed in the book if electronics had ceased to work? How might that change how the characters handle post-Day life?
Which characters do you feel are most suited to survive after the Day? Which ones need others to help them survive? Which traits to our surviving characters share that enable them to continue on?
In Alas, Babylon, Josephine Vanbruuker-Brown was secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare before the Day. She eventually becomes president because everyone in line before her has died or cannot be found. How would you feel if the current secretary of Health and Human Services or Education was made president? Do you feel they have the knowledge and background necessary to lead the country?
In the book, Rita begins collecting valuable items, thinking that she'll use them after things are over. Randy tells her that these things have no value in their new society. In our society today, do things like gold and jewels have value, or is it simply that we put value on them? If the events in this book were to take place today, what "valuable" items would people collect?
How would you survive in the event of a nuclear apocalypse? Did any of the actions characters took in the book surprise or inspire you? Is there anything you plan to do/buy to be better prepared in case of emergencies?
How do you think this book would be different if it took place today?
How do you think this book influenced the direction of science fiction? Do you think it influenced post-apocalyptic media (i.e. books, movies, video games, etc)?