"Alas, Babylon" book review

     This is a book Review for Pat Frank's novel "Alas, Babylon" for Mrs. McCoy.  It was published by Harper Perennial Modern Classics, and has 316 pages. it was published in 1959 and the foreword was written by David  Brin. The book was part of a summer reading list.
     The Main Character of the book, "Alas, Babylon" is Randy Bragg. Randy is a war veteran, lawyer and politician in his 30's he is resilient and trustworthy in the crisis of nuclear warfare. Many people come to live with him in Fort Repose, FL throughout the book, including his niece, nephew, sister-in-law, and girlfriend/future wife. Randy becomes the leader of fort repose after "the Day".
     There are many other characters in the story. Helen Bragg is Randy's sister-in-law. her and her children move in with randy after her husband, Mark Bragg, sends them there. Mark is an officer at strategic air command in Omaha, Nebraska. He warns his brother, Randy, of the impending nuclear attacks with the secret phrase "Alas, Babylon".  He dies in the first round of nuclear attacks. Another character crucial to the plot is Dan Gunn, who is the town's doctor and Randy's best friend. Before the attack, he is devastated by a brutal divorce. After nuclear warfare breaks out, he regains his cool and aids the town by treating those with typhoid fever and radiation poisoning. Randy's Girlfriend, Elizabeth "Lib" McGovern, is a pretty, bright young woman that falls in love with and later marries Randy.
     "Alas, Babylon" is a dystopian/post-apocalyptic book about nuclear Armageddon. The story is based around Randy Bragg's house in Fort Repose, FL. The book is set in the 1950's. Randy's Family Estate on river street soon becomes a shelter for half a dozen people as Randy attempts to save as many people as he can and form a community of survivors. In the end, Randy is told that the USA won, though suffering critical injury (obviously). he is also told that it would take a thousand years to restore a clear zone to normal, not including the Totally Destroyed cities.. At the very end, he "turns away to face the thousand year night", meaning that Randy is preparing, and looking forward to the future.
     I found "Alas, Babylon" to be a very interesting concept and I stayed up all night reading it. My only issue with it is that it is a smaller book and I wish it was longer. I enjoyed the idea of a nuclear apocalypse scenario, but I felt that there should be more to the story then there was. the plot was very original and the characters were very unique and unconventional in a good way. However, there were many opportunities to extend the plot and insert more material. I learned that survival isn't about money or popularity, but rather adaptability. I would highly recommend this book because it is suspenseful, interesting, and overall a good read.