World War Z by Max Brooks

This was brilliantly thought out.

World War Z is a collection of interviews put together chronologically by a journalist, depicting the Zombie Apocalypse from start to, well, if I say one more word there, it could be a spoiler.

“Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature.”

Max Brooks

While World War Z is written in such a way that it does not have a protagonist for the reader to root for and to fear for, there is still a lot of place for the reader to feel completely invested in the story. I loved that multiple countries, even MY country, were in this book. There are multiple situations where the reader can get involved in the story, just by wondering what they would do in such a situation. (Come on, who hasn't done the 'How long will you survive the Zombie Apocalypse quiz'? I got 1 and a half years. I don't know if that is good or not. But I figure if I can survive 1.5 years, adding a few more shouldn't be that hard...)

But that isn't even what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed seeing how the events unfolded globally.  I loved the underlying commentary on different countries, their governments and their histories. I enjoyed the social commentaries, ranging from internet addiction to the shunning of certain people. In my opinion, the book had less to do with zombies, and more to do with the flaws in human nature and government - and our strengths too. To call World War Z a book about zombies is about the same as saying that Animal Farm was about farmyard animals. Yes, but there is soooo much more to it.

“The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts”

Max Brooks

The majority of the low ratings on Goodreads come from people who were not happy with the fact that there was no protagonist. Keep this in mind if that is not the type of book that appeals to you. Personally, I enjoyed that. I felt as though I was rooting for mankind and not one guy. It put a different perspective on it. But I can see how some folks might be disappointed. World War Z is NOT The Walking Dead.

This was so much more than an entertaining read. It was enlightening. Brooks should be commended for his masterpiece.

Predictably, I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads (I enjoyed it AND it had loads for me to think on.).

This was the 9th book completed for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge!