'One Second After' by William Forstchen - Book Club Discussion Questions

One Second After is a riveting and chilling tale of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States. It is a thrilling page turner, but is also so much more. The danger it illustrates is so great and so real that leaders in our government are now reading this book. Use these book club discussion questions on One Second After to lead your reading group in a conversation about the book.

Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about One Second After by William Forstchen. Finish the book before reading on.

1. What is EMP?

2. How is an EMP attack a form of asymmetric warfare?

3. Who do you think would want to launch an EMP attack on the US? Who would have the capability to do so?

4. Why are modern electronics more susceptible to an EMP attack than those of 50 years ago?

5. Why do EMP attacks pose a greater threat to today's society than one would have decades ago?

6. Which parts of the country do you think would survive an attack best?

7. Do you find Forstchen's portrayal of a post attack environment credible? Why?

8. As a leader in Black Mountain, what would you have done differently?

9. In desperate times, how far would you go to save yourself? To save your family?

10. What do you think will happen to the United States envisioned in One Second After?

11. What can we do to protect our way of life from EMP attack?

12. Rate One Second After on a scale of 1 to 5.