# World War Z: Discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530 "2008-10-18T16:01:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/1 "2008-10-18T16:01:28Z")
I’m not necessarily talking about the chances of a zombie uprising, but more so the various responses. Do you think the government would try to hide it despite knowing they shouldn’t? Would China do it’s best to cover everything up? Would people delude themselves despite the fact that the walking dead are just down the street? The scene for me that was most realistic is the battle of Yonkers, NY. Just the way that the author painted the higher ups and incompetent and shortsighted seemed very true to for-from making the soldiers where M.O.P.P. gear to digging foxholes- despite the fact that higher ground would have been the sensible choice. I found it hard to believe, but in the same way I didn’t, that people didn’t start to take the threat seriously until after the zombies were literally on top of them. It seemed logical how Russia slid back into a monarchy My two favorite sections where talking when they were talking about the catacombs under Paris and when he interviewed the feral girl. I do have a couple of questions about the Solarium virus: The Guide talks about various way to contract the virus and it mentions sexual intercourse. But then goes on to say that anyone who has sex with a zombie is already too far gone. But what about, as they said in World War Z, that they had to dispel the rumor that having sex with a virgin would curse you; countless young girls had been raped. What about in those cases? Where someone has sex with the infected but they have not reanimated yet. If the tiniest blot will infect someone, it makes sense that sex would transmit it. Did the author visit Paul Reddiker? And if he did, why wasn’t his interview included in the book? Speaking of which, opinions on the South African plan? It’s morally reprehensible but is the only viable option in such a dire situation. I really do feel sorry for those enclaves left to fend on their own and really don’t blame the ones who gave the liberators the cold shoulder, nor the ones who decided to succeed. They were right, they didn’t leave the United States, the United States left them. Although they’d have to be reintegrated into society I could see that as being a hugely sticky situation for all involved. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/2 "2008-10-18T16:37:27Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’m not necessarily talking about the chances of a zombie uprising, but more so the various responses. > > Do you think the government would try to hide it despite knowing they shouldn’t? > Would China do it’s best to cover everything up? > Would people delude themselves despite the fact that the walking dead are just down the street? Depends on which goverment. I think most would in fact downplay the crisis because the truth would cause mass panic and hysteria. People originally had no idea what the virus did, all they knew was “people are getting sick and the goverment is making them dissapear” so they didn’t have to delude themselves too much. Protecting their loved ones from both the disease and the goverment would be their main concern, you don’t shoot grandma on the forehead because shes feeling slightly under the weather one day. > [@](#): > > The scene for me that was most realistic is the battle of Yonkers, NY. Just the way that the author painted the higher ups and incompetent and shortsighted seemed very true to for-from making the soldiers where M.O.P.P. gear to digging foxholes- despite the fact that higher ground would have been the sensible choice. I liked that part too, but i’ve been told it was extremely unrealistic in other threads. Personally i don’t find it hard to believe the army would be unprepared after the Iraq debacle. > [@](#): > > I do have a couple of questions about the Solarium virus: The Guide talks about various way to contract the virus and it mentions sexual intercourse. But then goes on to say that anyone who has sex with a zombie is already too far gone. But what about, as they said in World War Z, that they had to dispel the rumor that having sex with a virgin would curse you; countless young girls had been raped. What about in those cases? Where someone has sex with the infected but they have not reanimated yet. If the tiniest blot will infect someone, it makes sense that sex would transmit it. The whole sex with a virgin miracle cure is something actually straight out of real life. Lots of children in Africa get raped because of the urban legend that sex with a virgin is a cure for AIDS. > [@](#): > > Did the author visit Paul Reddiker? And if he did, why wasn’t his interview included in the book? You should really re-read that part better :). ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/3 "2008-10-18T17:27:40Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I do have a couple of questions about the Solarium virus: The Guide talks about various way to contract the virus and it mentions sexual intercourse. But then goes on to say that anyone who has sex with a zombie is already too far gone. But what about, as they said in World War Z, that they had to dispel the rumor that having sex with a virgin would curse you; countless young girls had been raped. What about in those cases? Where someone has sex with the infected but they have not reanimated yet. If the tiniest blot will infect someone, it makes sense that sex would transmit it. I’m trying to pretend very hard that I need not tie _The Zombie Survival Guide_ and _World War Z_. In the _Guide_, the Solarium virus seems entirely too virulent for the later book – doesn’t it speak of full zombie-dom in just 24 hours, with obvious failures to bodily functions in merely four to six hours? If so, many of the events in _WWZ_ just don’t work, for example the Paris outbreak. You meant “sex with a virgin will cure you,” right? I actually believe I read that to mean “you’ll not get infected in the first place,” but I’m away from my books. > [@](#): > > Did the author visit Paul Reddiker? And if he did, why wasn’t his interview included in the book? Better re-read the book, it’s quite clear he spoke to Paul Reddiker. > [@](#): > > Speaking of which, opinions on the South African plan? It’s morally reprehensible but is the only viable option in such a dire situation. I really do feel sorry for those enclaves left to fend on their own and really don’t blame the ones who gave the liberators the cold shoulder, nor the ones who decided to succeed. They were right, they didn’t leave the United States, the United States left them. Although they’d have to be reintegrated into society I could see that as being a hugely sticky situation for all involved. If we’re supposed to speak about this in a “let’s pretend that’s real” kind of way, I agree it’s about the only sane thing to do. In terms of making a good story, it is the only sound way, I think, of having your cake and eating it too: either the government tries to defend everybody and succeeds, or everybody dies, but the situation will be the same everywhere – rather boring. This way, Brooks could give us the idea of total abandonment to an inexplicable force, and still provide a glimpse at human reorganization. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/4 "2008-10-18T17:40:38Z")
> [@Enterprise](#): > > Better re-read the book, it’s quite clear he spoke to Paul Reddiker. I’ve read the entire section twice, listened to the audio book, and read his endnote on that interview at least five times. Sometimes I’m a little dense so I wasn’t really too sure. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/5 "2008-10-18T18:11:23Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’ve read the entire section twice, listened to the audio book, and read his endnote on that interview at least five times. Sometimes I’m a little dense so I wasn’t really too sure. The guy who talks about Redeker is Paul Redeker himself, he apparently snapped and dropped his anti emotional personality after Mandela hugs him and calls him the savior of their people ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/6 "2008-10-18T20:05:06Z")
My question is: would Israel really welcome all Palestinians into their country? It seems so outlandish, given how tense they are now. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/7 "2008-10-18T23:43:47Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The guy who talks about Redeker is Paul Redeker himself, he apparently snapped and dropped his anti emotional personality after Mandela hugs him and calls him the savior of their people Color me dense – I’ve read the book several times, and never made this connection. That chapter makes a LOT more sense now. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/8 "2008-10-19T02:42:54Z")
[QUOTE=pedescribe] My question is: would Israel really welcome all Palestinians into their country? It seems so outlandish, given how tense they are now. [/QUOTE] My take on this bit was that the Israelis figured they’d have a _worse_ problem, domestically, if the Palestinians within their borders felt that Tel Aviv was just leaving their relatives and countrymen to the wolves (or zombies) while providing safe haven to the world’s Jews. Plus, angry or desperate Palestinians left in the infected territory outside could cause a lot of trouble—trying to breach the borders, or rallying whatever was left of the Arabs and their countries against Israel for leaving them to die. And, of course, in a _really_ worst case…if the Palestinians are _still_ causing trouble, and Israel’s—and possibly human civilization’s, if the State is one of the last un-zombified bastions—survival is at stake, it’d probably help to have as many of them as possible in known locations, under your thumb. Fixed targets. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/9 "2008-10-19T02:53:16Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > My question is: would Israel really welcome all Palestinians into their country? It seems so outlandish, given how tense they are now. Keep in mind though that it wasn’t a very popular action with a lot of the orthodox in their country. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/10 "2008-11-29T20:58:58Z")
I loved this book! Zombies are usually one of my guilty pleasures; good fun, but not too deep. World War Z does not need to be lumped in as a guilty pleasure as I’m proud to admit I liked it. It is a fantastic book which examines the human condition amidst horrendous circumstance; taking the subject matter seriously and avoiding many of the wink, winks which generally accompanies the genre. The great thing about this style of “oral history” is that it allows for the reader to get multiple perspectives on the same events and experience the changes in global society. And every one of them is interesting; all those heart wrenching tales of soldiers fighting the impossible battles, families tragically separated, opportunists exploiting the world’s fragile state, and academics figuring out how to help society persevere. Fantastic! What really adds flavor to the book is Brooks’ inclusion of real public figures, who go unnamed, as characters or participants in the story. I spotted Colin Powell, Howard Dean, Nelson Mandela, Steven Spielberg, and Paris Hilton. Not sure if I missed any others. And I am pretty sure that guy in the unit was Michael Stipe! Best chapters that spring to mind- - The battle in Hope, NM - The Russian decimation - The Chinese submarine plotline - The aforementioned Reddiker chapter - Cuban prosperity and liberalization - Clearing the U.S. one step at a time This book is simply a fantastic work of fiction. It fills you with a sense of dread and hope at the same time. I am cautiously optimistic about the film version that Brad Pitt’s is producing and Marc Forrester is directing. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/11 "2008-11-29T21:13:01Z")
I loved the concept but found the prose poorly written enough that it bugged me. I can’t offer specifics since it’s been a few years since I read it but I finished the book disappointed that someone who could write a decent story had not done it. And my brother complained that the naval scenes were completely unrealistic mainly since his rather minor ship got a big mention. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-discussion/468530/12 "2008-11-30T00:05:34Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > The great thing about this style of “oral history” is that it allows for the reader to get multiple perspectives on the same events and experience the changes in global society. And every one of them is interesting; all those heart wrenching tales of soldiers fighting the impossible battles, families tragically separated, opportunists exploiting the world’s fragile state, and academics figuring out how to help society persevere. Fantastic! And the less-than-great thing about this narrative style is that it does not allow the reader to ever connect to a character. I was bored with the book and frustrated with the style after about 50 pages. Brooks had a great story, but the way he chose to tell it, IMO, sucked. If the movie is nothing but 2 minute vignettes, there is no way anyone will see it.