Notes from an Apocalypse

A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back

By: Mark O'Connell

Narrated by: Mark O'Connell

"Harrowing, tender-hearted, and funny as hell" —Jenny Offill
“Fascinating…Oddly uplifting” —The Economist
"Smart, funny, irreverent, and philosophically rich" —Wall Street Journal

By the author of the award-winning To Be a Machine, an absorbing, deeply felt book about our anxious present tense—and coming to grips with the future

We're alive in a time of worst-case scenarios: The weather has gone uncanny. Old postwar alliances are crumbling. A pandemic draws our global community to a halt. Everywhere you look there's an omen, a joke whose punchline is the end of the world. How is a person supposed to live in the shadow of such a grim future? What does it mean to have children—nothing if not an act of hope—in such unsettled times? What might it be like to live through the worst? And what on Earth is anybody doing about it?

Dublin-based writer Mark O'Connell is consumed by these questions—and, as the father of two young children himself, he finds them increasingly urgent. In Notes from an Apocalypse, he crosses the globe in pursuit of answers. He tours survival bunkers in South Dakota. He ventures to New Zealand, a favored retreat of billionaires banking on civilization's collapse. He engages with would-be Mars colonists, preppers, right-wing conspiracists. And he bears witness to those places, like Chernobyl, that the future has already visited—real-life portraits of the end of the world as we know it. In doing so, he comes to a resolution, while offering readers a unique window into our contemporary imagination.

Both investigative and deeply personal, Notes from an Apocalypse is an affecting, humorous, and surprisingly hopeful meditation on our present moment. With insight, humanity, and wit, O'Connell leaves you to wonder: What if the end of the world isn't the end of the world?

Gorgeously written

A beautiful testament to anxiety and the human condition in our modern era of worry. Mark’s narration of matched well with his mastery of prose. I recommend this one for sure.

Good Book But Flawed

The author does not have a good grasp of the time frame for Abrupt Climate Change:
we have 10-15 years left on this planet! Read the Science.

loved it!

This is such a great book. I loved the irony behind some of the first end-of-the-world experiences at the beginning and the honesty of the writer. Really enjoyed the last chapter more on a personal level. A book of rare perfection!

Not Bad, Not Great

The first half was better than the second half. The second half sounds more like excerpts from the authors journal than an examination of the end of days. Nevertheless, his insight was familiar.

Very interesting book about apocalypse groups

The author looks at several groups preparing for the apocalypse and gives his own thoughts on events. Beautifully written and a thought-provoking read. Highly recommended.