World War Z

The ‘zombie apocalypse’ scenario has been used for years by risk management professionals to make the examination of possible societal breakdowns more fun and/or interesting.

By focusing on a hazard people know, like hurricanes or wildfires, audiences come to the discussion with pre-existing biases and, in many cases, first-hand experience. This forces the communicator to counter such bias before getting to key messages.

There’s never been an actual zombie apocalypse (nor is there likely to ever be one…), which means the zombie scenario adequately ‘levels the field’. It forces audiences to think beyond their go-to assumptions and introduces levels of… show more.

Forget the Brad Pitt movie. The only way to consume World War Z is in the form of a book.

A series of interviews with survivors of the zombie apocalypse, it tells a huge story without robbing individual characters of their voice. People from every walk of life (doctors, politicians, soldiers, janitors) have an opportunity to share their experiences.

It’s a book that manages to be powerful and personal at the same time. I recommended World War Z to my neighborhood book club. At first, they were hesitant about reading horror, but in the end, all of them loved the… show more.

A globe-spanning story of a zombie apocalypse.

One journalist travels the world in the aftermath and interviews the heroes, villains, and ordinary people who survived. It was made into a film with Brad Pitt, which is quite different, but I love anything with a fast zombie. The whole book makes you glad to live in a non-apocalypse.

(If the apocalypse has broken out between me writing this and you reading it, I’m not surprised, but I am sorry. Seriously, find a copy of WWZ as it’s full of good tips for your current predicament.) 

I know, I know. Most horror fans have read the book and watch the horrible Hollywood adaptation, but hear me out. I’m not recommending you re-read the book. I am recommending you listen to the 2014, all-stars cast, audiobook. This version of the audiobook is not read by a narrator but performed by a group of actors. The performances bring new life to the story. 

This version also includes new “interviews” that didn’t make it to the original and some tie-ins to the movie. 

I believe this is great for those familiar with the book, as well as those who… show more.

I am a historian who loves zombie lore, so this book was basically made for me. It was also written by the son of one of my favorite comedians, authors, directors, producers of all time—Mel Brooks. World War Z presumes that a zombie apocalypse occurred and that this book is being published as a record of the events, based on oral interviews with people who experience it, all across the globe. It is a great introduction to public history and oral history, through the lens of a zombie pandemic. What is not to love?

Another zombie novel with a refreshing spin, World War Z takes place, not at the outbreak or during an undead apocalypse, but many years afterward. Framed as a series of interviews with survivors, the various interviewees share their personal tales, each coming from a unique perspective. Rather than focusing on the flesh-eating gore that is the emphasis of most zombie tales, World War Z explores such topics as how people survived when the food supplies dwindled, or what were the best tools for hunting zombies at night, or what happened to those whose sanity simply could not handle the nightmare.… show more.

Don’t go by the movie, the book is a completely different experience; doubly so if you listen to the audiobook. I read the book before I listened to it and I can say both stand alone. It takes snippets of interviews that feel incredibly intimate, allowing you to experience the invasion from many viewpoints. You will find at least one that resonates with you. I loved the audiobook and the many recognisable voices that fleshed out the book. I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

I’m always drawn to unique formats, which is exactly what World War Z is. The narrative is told through a series of fictitious interviews, detailing a zombie apocalypse and its aftermath. In this book, the zombies are secondary. The real draw is how individuals act when society starts to crumble. The book talks about everything from the military to consumerism and how the end of the world affects them all.

World War Z is a look back at the zombie apocalypse ten years afterwards, collecting interviews from survivors around the world on mankind’s struggle to overcome this challenge from the undead. I find it fascinating that a low-budget 1968 black and white movie, Night of the Living Dead, which the New York Times film critic called "revolting garbage," was the inspiration for World War Z, which became a bestseller, and instead of the unknown actors featured in NOTLD, headlined one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Brad Pitt. They may be slow and stumble, but zombies have come a long… show more.

This book is a zombie classic now and for good reason. I wasn’t crazy about the movie but luckily the book is nothing like it. Set in a fake world where the apocalypse has already happened, the story follows a reporter as he interviews key people in the zombie war that has already happened. Journalism was the first subject in school I fell in love with and studied in college, so it was a perspective that spoke to me.