World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler

Rebuilding the world in the 21^st century sounds depressing.  Rebuilding it as a result of war, terrorism and influenza is even more so. I should have been in a deep funk while reading this but I was not.  It made me feel hopeful for the future even if it is not bright.  I do not like reading about the US after such catastrophes. When, in the 80s I read The Third World War, I had to flip to the end to make sure we survived before I could finish it. I did not even jump ahead here. I somehow knew it would be ok even if ok was never the same as before.

Doing without AC, electricity, running water, etc. reminded me of Peace Corps. I survived but I was younger then. I wonder how I would react today.  In all honesty, I am a survivor so I think I would be one of those taking charge and getting it done. Robert Earle became that person.  He was not ready for that role in the beginning. Like I imagine so many people are after a catastrophe, he seemed to exist in a vacuum, going about his day doing what was necessary to live to the next day.  He stated he tried to avoid nostalgia because it would destroy you.  Still, he thought of cold beer and air conditioning and the lack of communication from the outside world. He missed his son, took comfort with the preacher’s wife and stepped up to responsibility when needed.

Several things interested me in this book. Sociology and politics have taught us that we must interact with others in order to survive.  Aristotle said “Man is by nature a political animal.”  We have to have a system of enforceable laws or the lawless take over the world.  Stephen Bullock gave up on the law and started his own community where he provided for those who worked for him in a more benevolent manner than most. Still he was in control and no one really challenged him.  The bullies of the world rose to the top reminding me that S… floats.  Wayne Karp, Dan Curry, both are despicable people whose deaths did not bother me in the least. I did think it appropriate that Wayne Karp was the reason Robert Earle became the mayor since his lawlessness led him to want to do something about it.

The New Faith Brotherhood adds a delightful twist to the story.  Here is a group of survivors who are looking for a great place to settle having left several other good places.  John Brown came to mind in this one!  A religious group, its leaders have no problem handing down God’s vengeance on the low lifes in the area.  They had the ability to take care of most every situation and served almost as the conscious of Union Grove. 

Britney and Sarah added some stability to Robert’s life when they moved in with him.  He now had a family. I presume they went on to create a more solid family, possibly even having more children.  I enjoyed the ending of the book as it left the impression that even without electricity things were returning to the new normal—trade was being restored, Union Grove was developing a plan of moving forward. As I sit here using my laptop to write this, comfortable in my climate controlled home with plenty of life's conveniences, I wonder how I would fare without electricity?  Hopefully, that is one thing I will not have to know. It is bad enough when the power goes out for just a few hours!