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I finished March with a novel by Pat Frank that was certainly acclaimed when it was first published and still has study guides available for school use. Alas, Babylon is an apocalyptic science-fiction novel that deals with the great nightmare of the fifties and sixties--the results of a nuclear holocaust caused by the failure of the combined policies of a nuclear arms race and the preventive policy of mutually assured destruction. The book deals as much with the hopes of rebuilding a society from the ruins following the atomic disaster as with the horror of the war itself.
Personally I feel that the charges of racism and sexism that have been levelled against the author are misplaced. The book is a product of the late fifties and sexual stereotyping of gender roles certainly does occur. But this is most apparent before the nuclear attack destroys traditional roles. Pat Frank is certainly not a racist; the new society depends on the mutual respect and equality of all its citizens for each other so as to work together for the mutual benefit of all. Still, it is irritating to hear a black man constantly address Randy as "Mr Randy". I was personally horrified at the presentation of Randy's father--a judge--who is quite righteous about his right to administer a terrible beating to his son because the 10 year old told a lie. Another thing I dislike about this character is a willingness to use a vicious nickname against someone who has done him no harm--a habit emulated by his son. Yet Judge Bragg, who is deceased when the book starts, is presented by his son as an upright, admirable man and a wise father.
So, the book has not aged well in many ways. On the other hand, it does present a vivid description of the mentality created by the Cold War of that era and was praised as a powerful statement against that attitude when first published. Perhaps it is most useful when read as Social History.
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