What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I'm looking for a non-series book that tells a post-apocalyptic story of an Earth with technology gone, no more computers, no more robots, etc. Can anyone make any recommendations? Also, no YA fiction, aliens, or magic, please. I'd basically like to read about an author's imagination of how humanity would survive without technology. TIA.

Humans really can't survive without technology. Stone tools and fire are two of the most important technological innovations in all of human history, and any story where humanity regresses far enough to lose those is no longer about humans, in my opinion.

That said, try Hatchet and its sequels by Gary Paulsen. It's not post-apocalyptic on a worldwide scale, but it's about a teenage boy who becomes stranded in the middle of the Canadian woods with nothing but a metal hatchet, so it's pretty apocalyptic from his point of view. And it's a great story, with him managing to survive and recreate a lot of older technology as he does so.

I can't really think of any stories about group of humans that meet your criteria. Most post-apocalyptic stories are about people who still have the remnants of modern technology to work with, at least until it all breaks down. I can think of two more that, again, aren't quite what you're asking for but that I think you might find interesting:

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein. A group of teenagers studying survival techniques are transported to an alien planet where they are supposed to survive for at most a week before they're retrieved. They end up stranded there and have to learn how to survive much longer, going so far as to set up a new society. It's often considered one of Heinlein's YA books, but it wasn't written for teens and it's a classic in its own right.

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling is the first in a series set in the Pacific Northwest after modern technology just stops working for no apparent reason. After the mass die off, people have to figure out how to survive with the new rules. I'm not a big fan of Stirling, but this is a very popular series so he must be doing something right. Also, my understanding is that the cause of The Change, I think they call it, turns out to be basically aliens, but as far as I know they never appear on-screen and are only theorized as the cause by the characters.

It sounds to me like Joseph is requesting book who's theme is how to survive without technology. There are many other books that explore various post-apocalyptic and apocalyptic scenarios where the lack of or inability and decline in usage of technology is just part of the scenery.

The few books I've read and are closes to what you are asking for are:
Hothouse This is very much past our civilization where the conditions on the planet have changed.
And
Isaac Asimov Presents: Through Darkest America - It's a century after WWIII and society is back to farming and even horses are rarity as there are no animals left. It follows the personal journey of a boy through this world. While the main character is a teenager he is growing up in times where life-span is shorter and he is very much an adult. I would not classify this novel as YA, even though I guess him killing and doing atrocities can be considered as a way to come of age.

A book I have not read but might be also of interest is The Postman. I am not sure if there is any technology there but I have seen part of the movie and there was only old building an abandoned cars.

P.S. Seeing the amount of books you've read I probably shouldn't be recommending. I'm wondering if you have read any books with the theme you are looking for and what would you recommend?

Station Eleven. No modern technology, no cars/planes etc. People walk. In an old airport, someone sets up a technology museum - things like ipods and cellphones that no longer work. The younger kids, maybe even the people in their 20s, have never used ipods and cellphones.

World Made by Hand

Ill Wind is one I started and never finished, but it was heading in that direction.

An old book with this theme is The Spawn of The Death Machine by Ted White. While there is a brief appearance by "technology" (by which I'm assuming you mean computers, electricity, airplanes etc.) but it's only a brief appearance by the "Death Machine" of the title. Interesting idea of what it would be like if all of a sudden our technology turned on us and we were forced out into the world with only our hands and minds.

Star Man's Son, 2250 A.D is one that I'm not entirely certain matches your request, but I'm going to toss it into the pot anyway, since I like Andre Norton a LOT.

And this one is set right AFTER an apocalyptic event, but it's excellent story telling, and has been made (badly) into one movie and (excellently) one BBC mini-series. The Day of the Triffids The BBC one had my then 13 year old daughter having nightmares for WEEKS whenever she heard the bushes outside of her bedroom window scratching the side of the house.

Into the Forest

Warday

Survivors

One Second After (A John Matherson Novel)
Warday by Whitley Strieber

The Dog Stars

A Gift Upon the Shore - M.K. Wren

How about looking for books with EMP events? That wipes out all electronics (and hence most machines) but basically leaves the rest of society intact. Try these:
The Unit
One Second After

Wool Omnibus

Alas, Babylon is one of the first post apocalyptic stories of the nuclear age. Very worth reading. Not really "tech" free though.

The Long Tomorrow

One reviewer wrote: "It describes an America some years after nuclear war has destroyed its cities, a land dominated by Fundamentalist Luddite groups who shun modern technology, punish its practitioners, and forbid all towns greater in population than one thousand."

The Wall