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ZombieStop Parade by Richard Buzzell CreateSpace
book review by Mihir Shah
"The challenge is to get a countervailing message sufficiently promulgated within the culture that the public won't be afraid of change."
Not even in their wildest dreams did Corky and the anonymous author of the journal think that ZombieStop, an online forum, would evolve into an online campaign admonishing the lawlessness of corporate powers and mainstream media's marketing attempt to manipulate society into believing that the economy, with the corporate world at the helm, is headed for a bright future.
At the heart of ZombieStop Parade is Richard Buzzell's well-planted purpose of depicting today's society, from an economic vantage point, as zombies. Instead of buying into everything that is being said and done, Buzzell challenges society to voice their opinions against corporatists and media elites rather than remaining with the status quo. Buzzell plants the fire, particularly for critical-thinking college students to search introspectively and determine the validity of not only their beliefs, but the functioning of the free market ideologies that have been a staple of the economic system.
The plot unfolds when a ZombieStop forum user named Jackal releases evidence, in the form of financial records, to prove that major corporations are shipping off millions to offshore tax shelters. Overnight, ZombieStop soars in popularity. Later, a series of firebombings target these corrupt institutions, leading to wide speculation that ZombieStop is responsible. The major players in the book are Corky and his unnamed best friend, along with FBI Agent Sike and several others.
While the plot is intriguing, readers will relish the journal style of the book, particularly the voice of the unnamed author. Normally, a journal features an inordinate amount of biased information; however, this author has a knack for showing things as they are, resulting in a slew of humors moments. More importantly, Zombiestop Parade shows the tremendous influence of corporations and media outlets. ZombieStop is simply a website that embodies the idea of new media. It is not controlled by corporate or other "moneyed players"—and allows today's youth to voice their honest hopes and concerns for the future without manipulation and ultimately use "medialization" to become agents of change.