World War Z
by Max Brooks
★ Top 25 book of 2006 · #12 on Best Books of 2006
Max Brooks gathers first-hand accounts from survivors of the Zombie War, which nearly wiped out humanity. Traveling across the world, he records testimony that captures both the fear of the plague years and the human spirit of resistance.
Best for: Fans of zombie apocalypse stories told through survivors' personal testimonies
World War Z is #12 on BookWard's Best Books of 2006, out of 46 2006 books that cleared our data bar.
What World War Z is about
Told as a collection of interviews, World War Z looks back on a worldwide zombie war from about ten years after it ended. A fictional Max Brooks, working for the United Nations Postwar Commission, gathers accounts from survivors of every background, from people across the globe to those in Antarctica and even outer space. The chapters follow the whole arc of the crisis, from the first warnings and the blame that followed to the panic, the fight back and the long reckoning.
The outbreak starts with a single infected boy in a village in China, and what follows is less about monsters than about how people and governments behave when everything is at stake. Cover-ups, false comfort and cold strategy all play a part. It suits readers who like their horror sweeping, documentary in feel and thoughtful about human resilience.
World War Z on the Best Books of 2006
World War Z came out in 2006. Of the 46 books first published in 2006 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #12 on our Best Books of 2006 list.
Why it made the list: 749 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (139 ratings); 38 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2006 list
- Naruto 33 Masashi Kishimoto, #10
- The Road Cormac McCarthy, #11
- Horus Rising Dan Abnett, #13
- Cell Stephen King, #14
See all Best Books of 2006 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2005 Best Books of 2007.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 527 want to read it, 38 are reading it now and 184 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.9 out of 5 from 139 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 83 | 55% |
| Reader love | 43 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 83 | 20% |
Questions about World War Z
When was World War Z published?
World War Z by Max Brooks was first published in 2006.
Was World War Z one of the best books of 2006?
World War Z is #12 on BookWard's Best Books of 2006, out of 46 2006 books that cleared our data bar. 749 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (139 ratings); 38 are reading it right now.
Why is World War Z on the Best Books of 2006 list?
749 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (139 ratings); 38 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2006
- The Sea of Monsters Rick Riordan, #1
- The Book Thief Markus Zusak, #2
- Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, #3
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne, #4
- The Secret Rhonda Byrne, #5
- Mindset Carol S. Dweck, #6
See the full Best Books of 2006, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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