Have you ever read a book and been surprised by its political statements?
By aleura
@aleura (51)
United States
May 14, 2007 2:25pm CST
I read World War Z because I love zombie flicks. I had previously read the Zombie Survival Guide and liked how it was written as a real world scenerio. When I started reading World War Z, I sort of expected it to be written as though a War had happened, but I did not expect such a political commentary. The Zombie War was described in detail through all teirs of our government, as well as many other governments of the world. The writer described how our country reacted to the "outbreak", including how issues within the government today could impact our preparedness for such a sudden "infection". He commented on all the superpowers, the media and historical military strategies. I was amazed at how well written this book was. It was written as a ficticious account of a less than likely war, but it described and examined the world we live in and how we are unprepared for a global catastrophe. I was truly surprised by this book.
Have you ever read a book for fun and were surprised that it was a well written political commentary?
1 person likes this
1 response
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
14 May 07
I haven't read World War Z yet, but it is absolutely on the list. I have also read the Zombie survival guide and really liked it.
I have found that Zombie movies/books are often really political. I think that's one of the reasons I like then so much. I was a sociology major in my undergrad so I love anything that makes a comment on society...but the zombie genre often does it in a way that is underlying, rather than in your face, making things a little more though provoking.
Another book that I really like, that has a lot of political commentary is a science fiction book called Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. It deals with war, power, use of power, ethics...in the setting of preparing children to be the soilders for a future world war. It's an amazing book. I couldn't put it down!
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
14 May 07
You do find political statement in unexpected places, but I've learned to expect them in science fiction. Ender's Game, of course, but most notably Dune, which is largely about power and its uses. I just finished Absolute Friends, one of John Le Carre's post-cold war novels, and it was stunningly bitter about world politics. Two British ex-spies are dragged back into the new world of terrorism after 9/11 and are sacrificed by their former masters in just one of the many cynical propaganda moves of modern politics.
1 person likes this
@twilight021 (2059)
• United States
14 May 07
I agree...Sci-fi is a place where you often see political statements, probably because it most often deals with the future, and what will become of society.
Thanks for mentioning some other books. I am always looking for things to add to my reading list.
