The Last Children by Gudrun Pausewang
The book, which describes the life of a group of children (siblings, I believe) after some sort of terrible nuclear calamity in Europe, is still very relevant today. The vast majority of people have died or are dying, leaving the youngsters to fend for themselves in a post-apocalyptic world. Not as gloomy as it could be, the novel. It’s unknown whether the condition was caused by a nuclear war or simply an accident. The idea of a nuclear apocalypse was perhaps more plausible during the Cold War than it is today, but nuclear power and weapons are still present and still hazardous. Excellent German author Gudrun Pausevang has a ton of stories that are specifically about Germany to tell.
The Last Children by Gudrun Pausewang
Amazon.com
It centres on a family in Germany during the Cold War. Bombs are dropped, as opposed to the cold war coming to an end without any bombs being dropped. The family subsequently learns that all of Germany and probably all of Europe was destroyed, but they can never be sure because there are no official reports or any evidence.
The area around the two bombs is still standing. People experience terrible injuries, food quickly runs out, etc. In this fast-paced but well-developed book, the main characters pass away. It was so engrossing and realistic that I read it in one day.
Although it appears to be a children’s book, I wouldn’t suggest it for children under the age of 12. I believe that every international leader should be required to read it.
It seems to be frequently assigned to schoolchildren in Germany, which I find really surprising considering how difficult it must be for a teacher to discuss with students. It is the sort of book where nothing good occurs, which makes it extremely realistic. There are always sporadic glimpses of optimism in (post-)apocalyptic stories, but not in this one. It serves as a type of warning tale about the effects of nuclear bombs and is also extremely didactic.
