Discussion of "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

The ZBC met at Christopher Martins to discuss the book "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, a novel in which the US and the Soviet Union exchange nuclear bombings, leaving the small town of Fort Repose, FL, in a "Contaminated Zone" that is cut off from US government aid. The townsfolk transition to life without electricity or food imports, quickly form a barter economy, and deal with lawlessness.

In attendance were Dan, Dave, T Rex, Rachel, Shaw, Rob, Dunican, and Andrew.

The topics discussed most thoroughly at the meeting included: (1) how humans will be the biggest threat post-apocalypse, (2) the ZBC's "important documents collection" would be extremely useful in this scenario as well, and should include manuals on the manufacture and repair of simple machines, (3) having a stockpile of food and important goods is key to both survival and positioning in the post-apocalypse economy. One of the items to stockpile that was not intuitive to us but was highlighted in the book was salt. Also, items of high value per volume could be stocked for trading, such as alcohol, cigarettes and spices.

One topic of discussion for which there was no clear consensus regarded self-preservation vs. moral responsibility, i.e. how much should you help/inform your neighbor. I think it's safe to say that we agreed that it comes down to your probability of survival, and each dilemma would have to be decided individually for that apocalypse type and situation.

Comparison and discussion of the new and old versions of the movie "Dawn of the Dead"

If the zombies are as slow and fragile as in the old movie, we have nothing to fear.

Watching of "28 Weeks Later"

In the event of a fast zombie apocalypse, a mechanical advantage is required to travel safely (e.g. boat, car, helicopter).

Discussion of "World War Z" by Max Brooks

No one can remember how it began, but for months the Strobel lab room 320 could talk about nothing other than zombies.

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Mission Statement

The ZBC was formed in 2010 by a group of Yale scientists intent on surviving apocalypses, zombie or otherwise. The first meeting involved the reading and discussion of Max Brooks's World War Z, which led to the group's name as the Zombie Book Club. Our activities are diverse, however, and include watching informational movies, physical training, independent research and computer simulations. This blog is intended to serve as a record and repository of our activities, research and conclusions.