There are people who find Shaun of the Dead disturbing, not because of the disembowelments, casual violence and matricide, but rather because Shaun and his posse go about their fight for survival all wrong.
Max Brooks might be considered one of those people.
As author of The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z and The ZSG: Recorded Attacks, Brooks knows a thing or two about zombie attacks and wants to share his knowledge with the world. Answers to questions like, "If I cut off my arm, can I stop an infection?" "What rifle do you recommend at what range?" "Should I wear body armor?" and many others are given in the Survival Guide not with deadpan humor, but in perfect seriousness.
Brooks, the son of comedian, composer and director Mel Brooks, says he got the information from the real world.
"Zombies are the only thing that are supernatural. It's just real world survivalism."
Before putting pen to paper, Brooks spent a lot of time doing research, but writing detailed anti-zombie books was never Brooks' intention.
"[Zombies] always scared me," he said. "At one point I thought, I wonder if they ever do attack, how would I survive it? I went looking for a book on how to survive and everyone else had better things to do than write them ... except me. And like a good writer, I stuck it in the drawer."
Writing was nothing new for Brooks, as he had been selling screenplays and writing for "Saturday Night Live" for years.
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An Evening with Max Brooks |
"The continued success is due to the fact that we talk about very real things ... with governments collapsing [and] neighbors turning on each other," Brooks said. "You can read my books and still sleep at night. You can't do that if it's swine flu or nuclear war-that's too real. We get to talk about all the real stuff but when we put it in the zombie context, it makes it safe."
"Safe" in the mental and emotional sense of the word but there's nothing soothing in Brooks' writing. And they are not "zom com," or zombie comedy, either. They're the real deal.
"Use your brain because they don't think, they don't reason, they don't coordinate, they don't cooperate," Brooks said. "The very same thing that made us the dominant species on the planet will help us stay that way. Look, we're not strong, we're not fast, we don't have fur or claws-we got a brain. Use your head to cut off theirs."
Make sure to remember that in case of zombie apocalypse.
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don't need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Other Literary Events
By Samara Napolitan
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know is a compelling read that shows that identity goes further than a face. The author, Heather Sellers, suffers from a rare neurological condition called prosopagnosia, or face blindness. The disorder impairs Sellers' ability to recognize humans by their faces, including family and close friends. Writing the memoir allowed Sellers to tackle her experiences living with face blindness. It also explores her unsettling childhood with a dysfunctional family life.
Writers' Group
Herrick District Library-Main, Holland
Nov. 16, 2 p.m.; Free
herrickdl.org, (616) 355-3100
Creative writers that are itching to share, go ahead and dust off those manuscripts! Herrick District Library's Writers' Group encourages writers of any vocation, published and unpublished, to share and discuss their work with others. They only ask that you bring a short piece to share, whether it is a poem, an essay, non-fiction, or a chapter from a novel in progress.
Picturing Hemingway's Michigan
Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids
Nov. 17, 7 p.m.; Free
grpl.org, (616) 988-5400
For lovers of For Whom the Bells Tolls and Old Man and the Sea, the Grand Rapids Public Library is presenting a glimpse into Ernest Hemingway's childhood adventures in Michigan. While Hemingway explored the nature Little Traverse Bay with his family, he also experienced the development of the region. His experience there would later influence the Nobel Prize-winning author's writing. Michale R. Federspeil, author of Picturing Hemingway's Michigan, will present photographs from Hemingway's family's collection, explain the connections between Michigan and Ernest Hemingway's works, and sign copies of his book.
