Former Petaluma classmates reconnect through virtual book club rereading of pandemic classic

What happens when a science fiction book about a pandemic becomes your reality?

Grappling with the coronavirus and the changes it’s brought to daily life, a group of friends who grew up in Petaluma in the 1980s couldn’t stop thinking about “Earth Abides.” They read the post-apocalyptic novel in their English class as students at Kenilworth Junior High School. Now, more than three decades later, they decided to reread it together, “almost as an act of therapy,” said the instigator, Scott McPherson.

Since graduating from high school in 1989, the classmates have scattered across the country and the world and live in Petaluma, Texas, Washington state, even Germany. But with their junior high school reading striking a now-familiar tone and with the sudden popularity of video conferencing apps as people shelter in place worldwide, they reconnected over the book.

They also sought out the junior high school English teacher who assigned them “Earth Abides,” Dennis Cardwell, now 72, who lives in Crockett near Vallejo.

“I had been thinking about ‘Earth Abides’ since the beginning of the COVID crisis,” Cardwell said.

“I wanted to share the book with my students, and I took a chance,” he said about his English class assignment. “I knew the book was special, and I had faith my students were capable of plumbing the depths of it. … I found the book hopeful, beautiful and ultimately uplifting.”

McPherson and his friends tracked down Cardwell through Facebook and invited him to join their online book club. With its members spanning two continents, the group met via Zoom and talked about the eerie parallels between the book and today’s pandemic.

Written by George R. Stewart, the book was published in 1949. It’s set in the San Francisco Bay Area, with scenes in Santa Rosa and starts with the aftermath of a pandemic that wipes out most of the population. The story follows the main characters Ish and his mate, Em, as they make their way through the chaos. Frictions develop among social groups, and education, religion and economics are all in flux. But the ending is uplifting, with hope for humanity.

“When I started the book, I felt like maybe it was a bad choice at this moment,” McPherson said. “But in the surreal world we live in, I’m glad this is when I came back to it.”

Most of McPherson’s friends confessed it was very a tough read, but a riveting one.

“The fact that a 70-year old book can be so relevant and compelling is fascinating,” said Scott Hendricks, 48, of Redmond, Washington. “The first section of the book deals with the isolation of the main character, Ish, soon after the pandemic, and I found this very hard to read. ... At points, I needed to pause and watch a couple of sitcoms to get through it.”

“After spending a few days in Ish’s world - truly the worst of the worst-case scenarios - somehow makes me feel better,” said McPherson, 49, who now lives in Bremen, Germany. “No, this can of food I’m opening is not 20-plus years old. Yes, water will still flow when I turn the taps. No, humanity is not at threat of extinction.”

The book provided a way to process their thoughts about the pandemic, but their book club also gave them a chance to travel back to their high school days, when such a scenario really did seem like science fiction.

Cardwell’s classroom in the early 1980s was practically wallpapered with album covers from his stash of 10,000 at home. His classroom collection included about 50 of the classics of the era, like Mötely Crüe’s “Shout at the Devil,” Pat Benatar’s “Get Nervous,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and Van Halen’s “1984.”

“Mr. Cardwell was a teacher who actually showed up as a person,” said Miki Romo, 49, of Petaluma. “He didn’t try to hide his emotions or try to keep that teacher façade. … He cried when reading ‘A Day No Pigs Would Die.’ For me this was very powerful and gave me permission as a teenager to show emotion even if it wasn’t the cool thing to do.”

When the students read “Earth Abides,” they were taken by the story. But at the time, the book’s scenario seemed as unlikely as Star Trek’s Borg infiltrating the planet.

“A pandemic hasn’t ever been on my radar, not back then and not until January of this year,” Romo said. “Being a teenager the first time around, I thought nothing would happen to me as an adult. As an adult, I know differently.”

The group said they’re managing their worries, reining in their fears.

“The pandemic can be overwhelming,” said Lorynn Divita, 48, of Waco, Texas. “There’s so much sadness and uncertainty and fear right now,” she said. “But in the midst of all of it, there are so many examples of courage and selflessness from our medical professionals every day that inspire me and give me hope. I definitely choose to focus on those acts of heroism.”

A diabetic who’s had heart problems, Cardwell knows he’s the target demographic for COVID-19.

“I’m the eternal optimist, always have been,” he said. “I believe that happiness is a choice. When I find myself falling out of that head space, I flip the switch one way or another. I’ve always lived inside my mind. It’s comfy there. If it’s not, it’s time to remodel.”