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Exiles and Survivors
In When the World Dies, you track how high hopes at the beginning of the 20th century disappeared with the appearance of world wars, genocide, and the nuclear age. Was there a particular historical event that compelled you to write this book?
The genocide of the Jews in World War II: My father’s Jewish family remained in Europe and was lost in the genocide. On his father’s side, they had already emigrated to the U.S. But on his mother’s side, they remained in Budapest with the exception of an uncle who left for Australia. That uncle, my great uncle, visited us and told of his harrowing escape. My mother was Protestant and of Dutch-German lineage.
Can you share with us a little about the research that went into putting this book together?
My research started about 5 or 6 years ago. I was fascinated by Stefan Zweig, an Austrian writer, forced to leave Salzburg after his home was ransacked and then sold for pennies. He ended in Petropolis, Brazil, where he and his wife were granted asylum. By 1942, distraught, he and his second wife committed suicide. That sent me to both places and prompted me to examine his situation and widen my research to all exiles and survivors. So, I read the secondary and primary sources and went to two archives: the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, and the National Archives in Suitland, Maryland.
What gives you hope in a period you describe as so dangerous?
My thesis is simple: D.E. Davis has a new book, When the World Dies: Life and Death in an Age of Infamy. He calls the 20th century “infamous” because of its two world wars, totalitarianism, and the “button,” the one used in Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer to explode the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945, at Alamogordo, NM. We have arrived in 2026, he insists, like the year 800 CE, when Charlemagne saved civilization from the barbarians. Either a new Charlemagne comes along and saves us from modern barbarians, or civilization goes down.
If readers remember only one message from When the World Dies, what would you want it to be?
Maybe, it is thought, there is a parallel between 1945 and the nuclear bombings of Japan and 2026 with the Iran war: gain a quick victory by astonishing means, nuclear; silence the opposition at home and abroad; and cower potential enemies. After all, senior Iranian officials have suggested its use against Israel. Some even say we are already in World War III. Recently, I gave a slide lecture about my book, everything from Kenneth Clark showing us what civilization looks like to Major T.J. “King” Kong riding the A-bomb to civilization’s destruction in Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove. As this lecture neared an ending, I played Vera Lynn singing, “We’ll Meet [that bomb] Again Some Sunny Day.” (My book’s cover design is from the International Radiation Symbol’s designer, Cyrill Orly, 1946, University of California, Berkeley, Radiation Laboratory.)
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Step into a vividly illustrated confrontation with history— where the darkness of the 20th century looms large. Drawing on pivotal moments and influential figures, from the chaos of World War I to the rise of totalitarian regimes, Davis compellingly tells how humanity found itself teetering on the brink of nuclear annihilation. With insights gained from the likes of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Hannah Arendt, and George Orwell, When the World Dies examines the philosophical underpinnings of evil and the moral obligations of the living.
This timely look at what led civilization to the brink of nuclear war and the societal steps required to back away from that ledge asks readers to consider the Age of Infamy from a perspective informed by history. Join Davis on this eye-opening journey as he challenges us to reflect on our past in order to confront our present and cultivate a future of possibility.
When the World Dies: Life and Death in an Age of Infamy
When the World Dies: Life and Death in an Age of Infamy is a sweeping mix of cultural criticism, personal memory, and political history. Author D. E. Davis tracks how bright hopes at the start of the twentieth century slid into world wars, genocide, and the nuclear age. He moves from early modernist art and literature to the trenches of the First World War, through Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Nanking, Auschwitz, Tiananmen Square, and the firebombing and atomic destruction of cities, then on into Cold War strategy and our current nuclear standoff. Throughout, he keeps circling one big claim. We live in an “Age of Infamy” in which totalitarian rule and total war still shape our lives and may yet end our civilization.
Davis has a clear, steady voice, and when he slows down to tell a story from his own life, like the bells at Berkeley on Armistice Day or his family’s memory of a lost doughboy, the prose hits hard and feels human. His summaries of films and novels, from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to The Sun Also Rises, are lively and often fun to read, and I liked how he treats them as warning shots rather than as homework from a syllabus. At times, the book felt quite full to me, with names, titles, dates, and quotations arriving in quick succession, so I occasionally felt like I was moving through a dense lecture. The tone stays serious and controlled, and every section is clearly considered, although a few transitions between cultural critique and military history felt a little quick.
I admire how blunt Davis is about the crimes of every side. He refuses to keep infamy only with Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, and he includes Allied firebombing and the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki inside the same moral frame. He treats Oppenheimer not as a stock tragic genius but as a figure who forces us to look straight at what we built and what we keep ready to use. I felt the fear behind his talk of a “dangerous precipice,” and his description of nuclear tests and policy debates left me with a knot in my stomach. I appreciate how boldly he argues that we have slipped into an almost permanent moral abyss, and it pushed me to think hard about where we really stand.
The call for “new Charlemagnes” who might sponsor learning, art, and a kind of recivilization stayed with me after I finished the book. I liked the image, and I liked his insistence that culture, truth, and moral courage are not soft extras but the only real tools we have against nuclear and political ruin. The problems he lays out feel huge, and the rescue he imagines is noble. I would recommend When the World Dies to readers who enjoy big, idea-heavy history, people who like to see novels and films woven into discussions of war and politics, and anyone who wants a passionate, worried, thoughtful guide to the past century’s worst impulses and our present risks. It is not light reading, but if you are willing to sit with deep questions, I think you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 339 | ASIN : B0GHCHQK5T
The “Urban Explorer” Subculture
Gordon MacKinney Author Interview
Follow Me Down is a thrilling novel that follows Lucas as he seeks justice for his family while uncovering corruption in the city’s largest real estate development company. What was your inspiration for this novel and the setup to the story?
The never-used subway beneath Cincinnati is real—built during the Depression but abandoned and sealed up. I lived for years near Cincinnati, both scared and intrigued by ghosts beneath my feet. When I later learned about the “urban explorer” subculture, I HAD to write the story.
One thing I really appreciated in this story was the authenticity of the relationships. What were some themes you wanted to capture while creating your characters?
Observant readers will notice one consistent theme for the four main characters: the plight of the underdog. Lucas, suppressed by corporate corruption. Alfred Blumenfeld, put down by cruel social mores, and Tricia Blumenfeld too, unwilling to play the part of the “good girl.” And Reuben, victimized for being short and Jewish. These characters deserved a voice and a shot at justice.
Lucas explores Cincinnati’s underground in this novel and the scenes were detailed and well developed. Why did you choose this setting for the novel?
In the story, protagonist Lucas reflects on a childhood experience descending voluntarily into a well on his grandfather’s farm. That scene resembles my own childhood “adventure.” What urban explorers do is just damn cool, risking capture and physical dangers in very cool places. Also, the noblest among these modern-day adventurers respect and revere the places they infiltrate. I admire them.
I find a problem in well-written novels, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
Thank you! While I’m finished with Lucas for now, two new stories are underway. The first fictionalizes a true 1980’s battle between an auto manufacturer and an underdog labor union. The second, set in small-town USA, explores the plight of another underdog, a young woman unjustly blamed for a deadly accident.
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![Follow Me Down by [MacKinney, Gordon]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mpGewBYTL.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Urban explorer Lucas Tremaine should buckle down and complete his Masters in Architecture, but the past torments him. Six years earlier, Drax Enterprises’ negligence killed his father and left his mother strung out on Valium. Lucas longs to punish the corrupt behemoth of Cincinnati real estate development, but what can one man do?
“Plenty,” says old Mr. Blumenfeld, Lucas’s boss and a former photojournalist with too many secrets. Evidence to bury Drax exists, he claims, but to find it, Lucas must breach the city’s welded-shut subway system. Lucas takes the plunge, aided by his best friend and moral compass, Reuben Klein.
The deeper the duo infiltrates the dangerous underground, the further back they turn the clock. They learn that Drax’s corruption intertwined with fascism’s rise in Germany. That campfire tales of a subway crypt were true. That no one can be trusted, not even Lucas’s boss.
Follow Me Down
Losing a parent is painful. It is earth shattering and completely disabling. Lucas Tremaine’s loss was due to negligence at Drax Enterprises. Even more than that, his mother was left dependent on valium to look remotely sane. He wished he could bring them to book but Drax is a big corrupt entity, what can one little guy do? He wished more than anything to exact revenge on the people who did harm to his family. Lucas wished all kinds of discomfort and unhappiness for the people who caused his father’s death. So blinded by the quest for revenge, it sometimes impairs his ability to properly collect and analyze the evidence.
Drax Enterprises will not pay for their sins in the conventional way, so Lucas needs to do some unconventional and dangerous things to get justice served. With the help of Reuben Klein, his best friend, they search the old underground subway system of the city of Cincinnati. The further they explore, the more sinister and complicated the corruption and fascism of Drax Enterprises gets. Lucas, Reuben and everyone who is near and dear to Lucas is in danger. Will Lucas find what he so desperately seeks? Will Drax Enterprises eventually pay for their sins? After facing three generations of Drax Enterprises leadership, will Lucas escape unscathed?
Follow Me Down by Gordon MacKinney is an intelligent thriller with a lot of ironic situations and lively conversations. The characters are complex but still relatable. Lucas’ need for vengeance is understandable to anyone and the reader will find himself rooting for him. This book is an interesting look into the lives of urban explorers. The reader gets to explore an underground rail systems not yet explored. The authors research and attention to detail is evident with the historical accuracy of the story. Gordon MacKinney’s description of the scenes is vivid and instantly transports the reader. One can almost smell the heavy air inside the tunnels. The love stories therein are especially heartwarming. The love between father and son is a beautiful narrative that is developed throughout the book. His admiration and love for his former boss and photojournalist, Alfred Blumenfeld, feels organic and true. I truly appreciated the authenticity of the character relationships in this novel.
Action, suspense and treasure hunts are among the simple pleasures. The adventures of Lucas’ endeavor are captivating and make for a great read. The end reveals a side of Tony Drax that you least expect, but makes for a good ending to the story.
Pages: 260 | ASIN: B0779GCH3V
