I have 2 copies of One Second After, and loan them out on a regular basis. It's one of the most effective ways I have found to get people thinking. One friend, who "wants to be a prepper", said she could not finish it because it was just too sad.

As for your second mention, Alas, Babylon: YES
As a central Fl native, it was very inspring when I first read it back in the '70's, and still is today. It's the book that started me off as a prepper before there was sucha term.