"Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank is an apocalyptic novel from the 1950s in which a small town in Florida is one of the few towns to not be hit by or receive fallout from an atomic bomb. It is the story of how the people survived.The book made me think about things like money and leaders and protection. I also thought about being prepared. The people on River Road in Fort Repose figured out how to survive right from the beginning. They seemed to have all the right people and resources. I (facetiously) made a list of all the important people and things to have around in case of an emergency.
--A doctor--especially one who knows about the dangers following a crisis.
--A library and/or books--the people relied on the library as a source of entertainment and information. They learned about edible plants, where to find salt, how to make and fix things and how to hypnotize.
--Animals--chickens for eggs, pigs for meat, cows for milk, fish for meat.
--A garden--the people lived off the orange groves, they made whiskey from the corn and sugar cane, and had fresh vegetables during the right seasons.
--Weapons--to protect friends and family.
--Medicines and herbs
--Items to trade--alcohol, sweets, coffee, cigarettes, toilet paper, honey
--Water--they lived right next to a river and had access to the fish, but they also had artesian water for drinking and bathing.
--Cars with gas and bicycles
--Radio--they hooked up the short wave radio to car batteries and access to news outside their community.
--Friends and family--they built a small community that relied on each other. They shared and helped as needed.
--Leaders and hard workers--they each had jobs and had to work hard in order to survive, but someone had to organize their efforts and take charge.
The people on River Road luckily had all the right things--that is what made the story good. Though it is not realistic, it got me thinking about what I need to do to prepare.
