Alas, Babylon is a 1959 novel by American writer Pat Frank (the pen name of Harry Hart Frank). It was one of the first post-apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age and remains popular fifty years after it was first published. The novel deals with the effects of a nuclear war on the small town of Fort Repose, Florida, which is based upon the actual city of Mount Dora.The novel's title is derived from Revelation 18:10, which is interpreted and quoted in the book as describing the aftermath of a nuclear attack. In the King James Bible, this passage reads:
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come.
Here are a few questions for study and discussion.
How does Pat Frank reveal character in Alas, Babylon?
What are some symbols in Alas, Babylon? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
How does the past figure into the novel?
What is the role of women in this novel?
How do politics figure into the novel?
Be sure to vote in the poll to help choose the next read! You can vote for as many as sound interesting! A vote will keep that book in the running.
Good read. It was a page-turner and it really got me thinking about what may lay ahead in our future although this book was written in the 50's. The possibility of nuclear warfare is still hovering over us and so I find this book relevant today.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the community worked to survive together. It had some language and I would think the subject matter too mature for children to grasp.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I was so interested to see how this small community would solve ever-changing challenges of living in a post-nuculear America. The chapters were long, so it was hard to find a stopping spot. I liked how the author didn't waste much time before getting to the action. I liked how the main character was a good man with good character. He stepped up during a time of crisis and took care of his family and his neighbors, and eventually took the responsibility to govern the town when there was no law. It was refreshing to see this as now we seem to live in a time when people are more selfish in their actions and might shirk their responsibilities during a time of such absolute chaos and uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteThere was a little bit of language, and because it was written in the 50's, the one instance of brief infidelity was handled discreetly and there is a pre-marital relationship that is only eluded to (which I really appreciated). Because of this and a generally mature theme of nuclear war, I think I'd recommed this book for ages 16 and over.
What a great recommendation! I recently read "The Road" which is also an end of the world type book, and was left depressed as there was no hope to be found in the pages. "Alas, Babylon" gave me hope. You can survive hard times...I admit it helps to have a family, know-how, and some ammo. I admired the hard work ethic. I admired the ingenuity. I admired the sense of community.
ReplyDeleteI read this book, but didn't agree that it was much of the page-turner I expected it to be. The author's style is perhaps not my favorite. I had just read Airman and literally couldn't put the thing down. I expected this book to be the same, and it wasn't. I read to the end just because I was interested in what life would be like after a nuclear bomb. I did appreciate the ideas I got on how to better prepare for a future event such as this. I liked how their survival depended upon pooling their resources and depending upon the others around them and their varying talents and ablities. Not my super favorite book.
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