The Big Read: "Station Eleven" and other post-apocalyptic discussion

[Heather]

Each April, the Library hosts the Big Read, our annual One Book – One Community celebration. In this year's selected title, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, a flu pandemic kills off 99 percent of the world's population. A group of rag-tag actors and musicians travels across a desolate country to keep the remnants of art and humanity alive — because "survival is insufficient." The story moves back and forth in time, vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, and finally reveals the strange twist of fate that connects them all.

This month's Big Read programs include visits with featured authors Emily St. John Mandel (Thursday, April 12 at the Library Center) and John M. Barry (Thursday, April 19 at the Library Center), interactive survival challenges, film screenings, book discussions and exhibits. Learn more at thelibrary.org/bigread, and place a hold on a library copy of "Station Eleven" here.

A few Big Read-inspired topics for discussion (pick one or more):

If you've read "Station Eleven", what did you think? What stood out to you?

What would you miss most if the world as we know it came to an end?

What's your favorite post-apocalyptic novel?

[Miranda]

I read SO MANY post-apocalyptic novels and I'm pretty sure my obsession with them started around the time I read Station Eleven, when it came out in 2014. I've been a big science fiction fan ever since.

Living in Missouri, I think I'd miss heating and air conditioning the most. Our weather is bonkers, I gotta have that climate control.

I love a lot of post-apocalyptic novels. Station Eleven is high on the list, as is The Stand by Stephen King. I recently loved The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones, The Power by Naomi Alderman, and Wool by Hugh Howey.