Doctor Zhivago: Revolution Ain't Cheap

Synopsis: "This famous novel of the Russian revolution and Civil War became a cause celebre when its publication was cancelled by Soviet authorities and Pasternak had the manuscript smuggled out of the country for publication. Doctor Zhivago was cited by the Swedish Academy when it awarded Pasternak the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 (an award that Pasternak refused, under pressure from the Soviet government).

The controversy surrounding the novel's publication and the notoriety of the David Lean's popular film adaptation of the novel have obscured the quality of the work itself. Simply stated, Doctor Zhivago is one of the most powerful books published in the 20th century and will be read long after the memory of its publication history has faded; it not only brings the Russian Revolution and the early Soviet era to life, it tells the stories of some of the most memorable characters to be found in all of literature." Source


Doctor Zhivago has a lot going for it on several levels, which is probably why its author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. For history buffs, it is an entertaining way to learn about what the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War were like for the average people on the ground just trying to survive. For those who enjoy romance, there are several overlapping love triangles that form the backbone of the plot. For those who read serious books looking for weighty human emotion, Doctor Zhivago won't disappoint you. And finally, for those would-be social revolutionaries, Doctor Zhivago provides a cautionary tale.

After hearing Ursula Le Guin speak about Zhivago on NPR's "Books You Must Read" segment, I became interested in Zhivago due to the "serious books" angle. I'm always up for any good Russian novels as in my words "Those commies know how to write." From the Dostoevsky I've read, Zhivago, and what I remember of Anna Karenina, I've came to the conclusion that the classic Russian authors just have a lot of skill at capturing the human condition. Perhaps it is their willingness to juggle large varied casts. When your plot isn't relying on action or isn't a quest novel, you tend to have to ramp up the number of characters and their relationships with one another in order to keep readers interested. This tends to magnify the "humanity factor" of the work.

What I'll end up remembering from Zhivago the most though is the history and the masterful showing of the price of social revolution. It can be easy to become so frustrated with government or people as to want to scrap the existing order and build a new one. Zhivago lets us would-be social revolutionaries experience the costs of a massive political and social upheaval through the Russian Revolution without having to go through the pain and agony of it ourselves. Instead, we see the noble character, Yuri Zhivago, become separated from both of the women he loves
and his life change from that of a prosperous middle class doctor to that of a destitute homeless man due to events that are primarily out of his control, although he supports the Revolution initially, being willing to sacrifice his comfortable life if it betters the life of his fellow Russians.

If you enjoy stories that are pure drama, Zhivago is a solid win. Doctor Zhivago is yet another book (much like The Brothers Karamazov) that I wish had been taught in at my high school.

World War Z: More Sophisticated Than You'd Expect

Synopsis: "Brooks, the author of the determinedly straight-faced parody The Zombie Survival Guide (2003), returns in all seriousness to the zombie theme for his second outing, a future history in the style of Theodore Judson's Fitzpatrick's War. Brooks tells the story of the world's desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts "as told to the author" by various characters around the world. A Chinese doctor encounters one of the earliest zombie cases at a time when the Chinese government is ruthlessly suppressing any information about the outbreak that will soon spread across the globe. The tale then follows the outbreak via testimony of smugglers, intelligence officials, military personnel and many others who struggle to defeat the zombie menace. Despite its implausible premise and choppy delivery, the novel is surprisingly hard to put down. The subtle, and not so subtle, jabs at various contemporary politicians and policies are an added bonus." Source

World War Z is one of the few books I DIDN'T hear about through word of mouth and just happened to pick up at the bookstore due to the interesting title. "A book about a zombie war! How awesomely hilarious!" were my thoughts after reading the back cover. Well, World War Z IS awesome, just not necessarily in a hilarious kind of way. World War Z has ended up being the best book I've read this year.

The book takes the form of a collection of interviews taken from those who survived the fictitious global zombie war. This strategy suceeds on several levels. Brooks gives us interviews with people from all walks of life, all across the globe. By doing this, Brooks is able to cover within 300 pages the entire duration of a war that lasted around 10 years, if my memory serves. That is a feat within itself. We see the military tactics and strategy shift from being targeted at living, breathing opponents for whom fear is a motivator, to the undead who can only annihilated and not reasoned with or scared into peace.

However, don't think this is some kind of military/zombie movie fan's dream come true. Most of the book focuses on those who were civilians before and during outbreak of the war. We see how the zombie war completely changed the lives of individuals and society. We also get a very clear view of the fear and panic that gripped people as the zombie plague spread across the globe. The ineptitude of the government's initial response and the greed of those who seek to profit from the uncertainty and confusion will ring true for anyone who pays attention to the real news.

The ultimate reason I would classify World War Z as "great" book rather than an "entertaining," or simply "good," book is the sincere human emotion that pervades it. What comes through in the interviews with these characters are the same hopes, fears, sorrows, and anger that are part of daily life, as cliche as this sounds. As the book's setting is the modern, globalized world, it is quite easy to relate to the characters and events within it, even if it does center around a zombie war. I'd recommend this book to anyone who can cope with zombies in their books as the zombie war simply provides the conflict necessary to explore the feelings of the characters. In short, World War Z isn't what you'd expect from an author whose previous book was "The Zombie Survival Guide," a sort of satire of zombie movie conventions and cliches. I hope to see more books like World War Z from Mr. Brooks in the future.