It’s made clear at the very end.
Of course, as a survivor of the war yourself, you’re supposed to know what happened there.
There was (might still be) a great fake story on Archaeology Magazine’s website about Max Brooks zombies discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs.
The bit toward the end with the turtle
they were like unicorns in those days
made me cry. Like, actually tears seeping out cry.
mitakuye oyasin
I got both books from the library at once back in the fall, and I read the Survival Guide before bed over a few nights. Then Saturday came and I picked up World War Z and I didn’t put it down until I finished it. Whew. The part in the Paris Catacombs haunts me, too, and the Canada story.
Oh man, JMS is making a movie of WWZ? You guys just made my day. (Yes, I’ve been living in a cave, er, with a newborn, so I don’t know these things.)
I read the Survival Guide first, and I think it was very enjoyable to do it in that order. I totally agree that the genius of the Guide is that it is written 100% seriously. While presumably Brooks doesn’t really believe there have been or will be zombie attacks, everything else about his research and writing is done completely straight.
He really had me considering whether it was better to build my post-apocalypse compound in the frozen north (easy zombie hunting in winter, but they last longer and it’s tough to stay warm and find food) or in the tropics (zombies rot faster, but are active year round, as are the bugs, reptiles, and tropical disease organisms). It also makes me feel a little more comfortable that I live in a two story house - if it happens we can take out the stairs and survive a few days at least. 
I also love that my hubby and I had a conversation about Brooks’s recommendations the other night - my husband is so cool, he came up with a lot of the same ideas, even though he didn’t read the book!
I read WWZ back when it came out in hardcover.
I do have one ‘mathematical’ question that I kept thinking of while reading it…
When Zombies first appear, they will spread like wildfire.
However, once most people are aware of zombies, they will be more able to defend themselves. It seems that an aware person has a decent chance of taking one zombie down with him…and most likely many more. Even if he isn’t torn apart and, therefore, is able to be a zombie himself even killing one on average will result in no increase in the zombie population. If the average killed is higher (and it would seem likely this would be the case) then every human killed would result in a decrease in the zombie population.
I guess the book does do something like this when they (********) (no spoil) at the end but I would think it would happen before this and that humans would never be truely displaced…they would be pressured after the surprise, then rally and come back.
What do yo all think?
It’s strongly implied. You’d have to think there’s a good story there.
As you’ll recall, “Hero City” was a designation give to a dozen Soviet cities in the Great Patriotic War (WWII).
Thanks to Max Brooks’ persuasive reasoning, I’ve got a crowbar in my truck, wrapped in friction tape for a better grip. 6-pound sledge on the porch, some swords, a machete and an axe in my room. You never know.
My readily available anti-zombie weapons: .40 cal handgun, crowbar, 18" steel pipe, ax, sledgehammer (although the last two I doubt I could wield effectively).
BlinkingDuck, you’re right but it’s a question of what level outbreak the infestation reaches before the learning curve sets in. Zombies’ biggest danger is that most people don’t believe in them and so early on you have people getting bitten because they don’t know better, can’t accept that friends and family are no longer human, etc. When an outbreak reaches level 3, the zombies themselves are no longer the sole problem- the breakdown in social order is a crisis in itself. I’m on the waiting list to read the book now but from what I’ve heard World War Z describes a level 3.5- 3.9 outbreak.
Most people wouldn’t be thinking in terms of “how many zombies can i take down before im ripped to pieces”, everyone would just be trying their darnest to get as far away as possible. Outbreaks start mostly in places like hospitals and police stations, when those go its basically everyone for themselves.
True, we’d loose alot/most of our healthcare workers early on and the most the ones who survived would be the ones who decided “To hell with this” and stopped showing up for work.
Oh great. I’ve read this thread through, I might as well wait for the nightmares to return. I have high hopes for the movie – there are so many freaking amazing story threads in there (the pilot ‘rescue,’ Japanese teen, misguided Northern travelers, ‘fake’ zombies) – but the early script segments I’ve read have not been great. They seem to be starting it in a very ‘prologue’ way rather than launching into the action. Not that anything stays the same from script to screen.
Highly recommend The Walking Dead, too, though I haven’t made it past the third hardcover book. Very dark.
I’ve now read up to Issue 48, and well, let’s just say, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
I read the book when it first came out and I finished the audio book today. I’m thinking of rereading the book again. I never reread books.
One thing that scares me about the movie is that there are so many good stories in the book (I didn’t particularly care for the shot down pilot), like the Paris catacombs and the feral girl, that I doubt will be in the movie. I don’t know. I’ll probably think of more stuff to write later.
A friend of mine got a bit further than I did and told me he stopped 'cause it just got too depressing. I have my suspicions as to what could be so depressing it’d make someone stop reading such an amazing story. I’m still figuring out if I want them confirmed.
After seeing the recommendations here, I went and checked out The Walking Dead. Man, what an awesome saga! I’m only on issue 11, but it’s very creepy.