Oregon Pioneer
12-28-2010, 08:28 PM
Am I really the only person here who has read Alas Babylon?
The author, Pat Frank does a superb job writing a fictional account of what a small community in the Florida panhandle goes through when the United States and Russia engage in a nuclear war set in the 1950’s. Most importantly Mr. Frank is able to capture human nature and paints a storyline of people and events we’re all familiar with in our everyday lives. While reading the book I found myself wondering how similar circumstances would play out in my own community.
We know chaos and social breakdowns can bring out the worst and best in people. I think the <st1>LDS</st1> <st1>Church </st1>is in a unique position to have a ready network of trained helpers. It goes without saying that those who are diligent in their home teaching and visiting teaching know about the spiritual and temporal needs of the families they see monthly. In my own ward (about 20 miles x 10 miles) home and visiting teaching routes are designed amongst neighbors, for those of us in Oregon we’re more spread out than say those of you in Utah or Idaho. My ward has accordingly organized disaster aid contingency plans into smaller units/groups of families within the ward boundaries.
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Our faith has tongue-in-cheek been called the Let’s Do Something (LDS) Church, because any flood, storm, forest fire, family death, moving truck unload, widow’s yard clean up, there’s nothing more Mormons love to do than work hard together. Abraham Lincoln said, "when I do bad I feel bad; when I do good I feel good." I think a lot of us gain satisfaction in helping our fellowmen.
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Another similar book, One Second After, by William Forstchen takes place today in a university town in <st1:state>North Carolina</st1:state>. Rather than an all out nuclear war, his scenario is an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack in the atmosphere above the <st1:country-region>United States</st1:country-region> and how it fries every circuit, computer, and transistor in the country. He brings out how dependent we are on for grid living and walks through what the consequences might be, though I think he’s a little extreme on his prediction of what the final outcome will be.
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Between the two books I’d give Alas Babylon five stars while One Second After would be three stars. I’ll go to used book stores and find old paperback copies of Alas Babylon for a buck or two and then give them to family or friends. I find their reading the book gets them to thinking on this topic like it has me. Given, I am a pretty pathetic LDSPrepper doing this, but I can say I’ve given out more copies of the Book of Mormon than I have Alas Babylon. Keep the faith!
The author, Pat Frank does a superb job writing a fictional account of what a small community in the Florida panhandle goes through when the United States and Russia engage in a nuclear war set in the 1950’s. Most importantly Mr. Frank is able to capture human nature and paints a storyline of people and events we’re all familiar with in our everyday lives. While reading the book I found myself wondering how similar circumstances would play out in my own community.
We know chaos and social breakdowns can bring out the worst and best in people. I think the <st1>LDS</st1> <st1>Church </st1>is in a unique position to have a ready network of trained helpers. It goes without saying that those who are diligent in their home teaching and visiting teaching know about the spiritual and temporal needs of the families they see monthly. In my own ward (about 20 miles x 10 miles) home and visiting teaching routes are designed amongst neighbors, for those of us in Oregon we’re more spread out than say those of you in Utah or Idaho. My ward has accordingly organized disaster aid contingency plans into smaller units/groups of families within the ward boundaries.
<o></o>
Our faith has tongue-in-cheek been called the Let’s Do Something (LDS) Church, because any flood, storm, forest fire, family death, moving truck unload, widow’s yard clean up, there’s nothing more Mormons love to do than work hard together. Abraham Lincoln said, "when I do bad I feel bad; when I do good I feel good." I think a lot of us gain satisfaction in helping our fellowmen.
<o></o>
<o></o>
<o></o>
Another similar book, One Second After, by William Forstchen takes place today in a university town in <st1:state>North Carolina</st1:state>. Rather than an all out nuclear war, his scenario is an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack in the atmosphere above the <st1:country-region>United States</st1:country-region> and how it fries every circuit, computer, and transistor in the country. He brings out how dependent we are on for grid living and walks through what the consequences might be, though I think he’s a little extreme on his prediction of what the final outcome will be.
<o></o>
Between the two books I’d give Alas Babylon five stars while One Second After would be three stars. I’ll go to used book stores and find old paperback copies of Alas Babylon for a buck or two and then give them to family or friends. I find their reading the book gets them to thinking on this topic like it has me. Given, I am a pretty pathetic LDSPrepper doing this, but I can say I’ve given out more copies of the Book of Mormon than I have Alas Babylon. Keep the faith!