*“In the end, it is our defiance that redeems us. » – Mark Rowland* “To the world you may be just another person, but to a person you may be just the world (Snyder, ThinkExist.com). In Pat Frank's book, Alas Babylon, Randy Bragg doesn't matter. He is a failed politician who lives off his family's land in a small town, Fort Repose, Florida. But for this small-town lawyer, everything was about to change. The United States had been on the brink of nuclear war with Russia for years. Frank tells the story of how one man, Randy Bragg, redeems himself from failed politician to town hero (Frank). Pre-warned by Mark Bragg, Randy's brother, Randy prepares for the arrival of his sister-in-law, niece and nephew; with nuclear war (Frank). Although Randy hopes to never see the day of nuclear war, he knows that Mark's warning should not be taken lightly and must create a survival kit. Not knowing how long this war might last or what he should get, Randy purchases copious amounts of milk, meat, candles, oil, gas and several other items that he believes will be necessary for the war. survival (Frank 44.45). Randy was counting on the time given to his sister-in-law, Helen, to gather all the other necessary items he had neglected. But the Russians had other plans and although Randy did his best to prepare for this war, nothing could have prepared him for The Day (Frank). The day nuclear war began marked the day hundreds of major American cities, such as Orlando, Tampa, Omaha, Washington, and countless others were destroyed. This day “was known simply as “The Day.” It was enough (Frank123). “People... inclined to divide their time into two periods, before the Day and after The Day, free time, which then seems... middle of paper... somewhere new. This alliance between them, this community they had created, was more than just an alliance, it was now a family. This town, this new Fort Repose was not an isolated town for them, it was a place to hang their hearts, it was a place to come home to at night, it was their home (Frank). Works Cited Frank, Pat. Alas, Babylon. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1959. George, Shannon. Quote. 2013. November 12, 2013. “Protection in the Nuclear Age.” Fallout Protection (1985): 4.Rowlands, Mark. The philosopher and the wolf. New York: Pegasus Publishing, 2008. Symonds, Peter. “World Socialist Website.” A report from a US think tank assesses the 'bleak future' of nuclear war (2013). ThinkExist. 2011. November 12 2013 .