The Last Town on Earth
Encyclopedia
The Last Town on Earth is a 2006 novel by Thomas Mullen. The novel focuses on the town of Commonwealth, Washington in 1918 during World War I
and the emergence of the Spanish Flu
. The town agrees to quarantine itself from the outside world, to hopefully save itself from the flu. Unfortunately, Phillip Worthy, the adopted son of Charles Worthy, the town founder, brings a lost soldier into the town and while it seems as if the soldier is perfectly healthy, the flu comes into Commonwealth anyway causing the town to start turning on each other.
The politics of the Industrial Workers of the World
, American Protective League
, and the Four-Minute Men
, as well as the aftermath of the Everett Massacre
, play major roles in the novel. According to the afterward, Commonwealth was inspired by a combination of Gunnison, Colorado
(which quarantined itself from the flu) and the communes of Equality Colony
, Freeland
, and Home
(which were socialist communes in Washington). John M. Barry
's The Great Influenza was also an inspiration.
It won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
in 2007. The New York Times Book Review
calls it a "remarkable first novel" and praises the novel's "brilliant series of plot twists" and "carefully detailed historical context".
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the emergence of the Spanish Flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. The town agrees to quarantine itself from the outside world, to hopefully save itself from the flu. Unfortunately, Phillip Worthy, the adopted son of Charles Worthy, the town founder, brings a lost soldier into the town and while it seems as if the soldier is perfectly healthy, the flu comes into Commonwealth anyway causing the town to start turning on each other.
The politics of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, American Protective League
American Protective League
The American Protective League was an American organization of private citizens that worked with Federal law enforcement agencies during the World War I era to identify suspected German sympathizers and to counteract the activities of radicals, anarchists, anti-war activists, and left-wing labor...
, and the Four-Minute Men
Committee on Public Information
The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI or the Creel Committee, was an independent agency of the government of the United States created to influence U.S. public opinion regarding American participation in World War I...
, as well as the aftermath of the Everett Massacre
Everett massacre
The Everett Massacre was an armed confrontation between local authorities and members of the Industrial Workers of the World union, commonly called "Wobblies". It took place in Everett, Washington on Sunday, November 5, 1916...
, play major roles in the novel. According to the afterward, Commonwealth was inspired by a combination of Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
(which quarantined itself from the flu) and the communes of Equality Colony
Equality colony
The Equality Colony was a US socialist colony founded in Skagit County, Washington, in the year 1897. It was meant to serve as a model which would convert the rest of Washington and later the entire United States to socialism....
, Freeland
Freeland, Washington
Freeland is a town and census-designated place in Island County, Washington, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 2,035. The town received its name based on its origins as a socialist commune in the early 1900s—. Literally, in the eyes of its founders, the land of...
, and Home
Home, Washington
Home is an CDP in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The 2010 Census placed the population at 1,377. The community lies on the Key Peninsula and borders the waters of Carr Inlet, an extension of the Puget Sound...
(which were socialist communes in Washington). John M. Barry
John M. Barry
John M. Barry is an American author and historian, perhaps best known for his books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and the influenza pandemic of 1918....
's The Great Influenza was also an inspiration.
It won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction
The James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction is a biannual award given by The Society of American Historians. The prize is given "to honor works of literary fiction that significantly advance the historical imagination" . The prize is named for nineteenth century American...
in 2007. The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
calls it a "remarkable first novel" and praises the novel's "brilliant series of plot twists" and "carefully detailed historical context".