World War Z by Max Brooks

I'm very over the whole zombie thing. I look askance at anyone who tries to describe (in far too much detail, usually) their zombie survival plan. Possibly, this is related to the fact that even as a child, I've been terrified of zombies. And not in the over analytical way I'm usually scared of things. I do not see zombies as metaphor for people trapped in secular humanism. I do not see zombies as symbolic of the destructive nature of human greed. I do not see zombies as an opportunity for target practice, raiding Wal-Marts and shooting. I see zombies as horrible rotting things that want to eat me that my brain tells me can't be real (but then that tiny voice in my head chimes in and says "but they COULD be...").

However. This being said. Necessary segue here.
I love this book. I love it. I read it all the time.
I initially read it because there's an entire chapter/essay devoted to the role dogs played, specifically terriers and daschund mixes in the war of humans vs. zombies.

The frame for this book is a journalist/analyst who has conducted interviews for the government with various survivors of the zombie crisis. These are people from all walks of life, with all different stories of survival. Political leaders from all around the world, children who now live in mental institutions, mothers, former movie directors. It's astonishing to consider the amount of thought and research that was put behind this simple collection. The incidental links, references both contemporary and historical, facts and cultural research really set it apart and give it a different feel than the majority of zombie/horror books. Instead of getting lost in a metaphor or some bizarre pseudo scientific theory, it sticks to the human aspect of the story.

So it's zombie stories. I love it. I can't say much without retelling the whole plot.
I prefer this to Brooks' other book, The Zombie Survival guide, but both are worth a read.