Even more meaningful today.

Being a teenager in the ‘60’s and having been in high school for the Cuban Missile Crisis, there were two books that grabbed at me. “Alas, Babylon” was written in ‘59 and describes how a community in Florida tackles the aftermath of a nuclear exchange. “On The Beach” came a bit later and addresses how an unbombed Australia copes with the approaching fallout.
But “Warday” takes a different tack. It was written in 1983, but is set in 1993. It follows two authors who set out to write about how the US has changed after a nuclear exchange with Russia in 1988. Using the device of “interviewing “ various people while traveling through the country, it actually touches on many issues we face in 2022, such as immigration and problems with allies.
To say much more would introduce, in my mind, too many “spoilers.” One thing I prefer about the Audible version versus the actual book is the effect of the “documents.” Reading the book, I tended to gloss over sections of “official documents.” Listening while driving, I had a greater appreciation of how the authors created a plausible basis for the actions of people and governments. I was especially impressed by how today’s issues of immigration and disease control are prophetically discussed from 40 years ago.

I think this is like reading a prediction of today from long ago. Most stories of the “future” envision things that never happen, as in Flash Gordon from the late ‘30’s. While writing of a world 10 years in the future, I think this accurately predicts our world 40 years away.

I totally enjoyed it.