Z For Zachariah

Z for Zachariah (1974) by Robert C. O’Brien is a young adult dystopian novel. It tells the story of Ann Burden, who survives a nuclear war that destroys the world thanks to a natural phenomenon that keeps her valley safe from radiation. After over a year alone, she awakes one morning to a column of smoke, and John Loomis—a scientist who has traveled for weeks in a protective suit—arrives and disrupts her life of solitude. Through these two characters, the novel explores themes of The Desire for Power, The Tension Between Community and Autonomy, and The Conflict Between Technology and Nature.

Although O’Brien died in 1973, his wife and daughter completed Z for Zachariah based on his notes and then published it posthumously. The novel received critical praise for its psychological exploration of Ann’s fear, isolation, and struggle to survive and has since become a seminal work in the dystopian genre. It was nominated for the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and won the Edgar Award for mystery fiction.

This guide refers to the Aladdin Paperbacks first edition of the novel, published in 1987.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of sexual violence, illness, death, and animal death.