Life As We Knew It
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Susan Beth PfefferBrand: Graphia
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-01
ISBN: 0152061541
Number of pages: 360
Publisher: Graphia
Book Reviews of Life As We Knew It
Book Review: Moonstruck!
Summary: 5 Stars
Capsule synopsis: An asteroid impacts the moon and, as a result, life on earth. 16-year-old Miranda chronicals the event in her diary. Okay, the science is way off, you could drive a Lunar Landing vehicle through the gaps in logic, but if you can suspend disbelief for a while, this is a very entertaining book...the perfect beach read.
Written for young adults, the book is not a gore-fest, the real horror comes at us in increments as Miranda, her divorced mother and two brothers cope with a global disaster that truly, ends life as they know it. They are smart enough to stock up on canned goods, chop enough wood to survive the winter, and make essential lifestyle changes to enhance their chances of survival. While the family functions as well as, I think, most families might, it is society as a large that seems to disappear.
The moon's new orbit, which takes it much closer to the earth, effects the weather, causes tsunamis that destroy all coastal cities around the world, volcano eruptions that take out other population centers (and cause an ash cover to surround the world, blocking out the sun and creating what seems to be a mini Ice Age.
With all this, one would think that that people would form some sort of tribal groups, to conserve resources, provide aid to one another and survive the increasing trails they face. This doesn't happen. No group of concerned townspeople takes charge; one by one, the fire, police and medical services collapse. Everyone hunkers down at home, or flees hoping to find better odds in another area.
Miranda's voice is pitch perfect as a teen whose natural optimism is eroded day by day as her life and chances of survival are eroded. The author has neatly captured the tone of a sixteen year old and molded it it fit the circumstances. Miranda's diary has the ring of verisimilitude and rarely is there a false note. The drama is low key, but that doesn't keep the reader from sitting on the edge of the seat waiting for what happens next. You really grow to care for this family and feel their fears and suffering.
This is a great find for young adults readers, particularly reluctant readers, or adults with limited reading ability. (By the way, if you know a young male you'd like to convert to the reading side, I'd go with "Christine" by Stephen King as an almost sure thing. Maybe even something by Joe Lansdale.) I belong to a group that donates books to various organizations, among which is a book club whose members happen to be incarcerated in a women's prison in Mississippi. Their reading levels are all over the place, so it's hard to find something that appeals across the board; "Life As We Knew It" is a perfect fit (and meets the somewhat inane requirements of the folks who manage Hotel Lockdown).
This is not a book for thinking, this is a book for lolling by the side of the pool. A feet up, cold drink, no stinting on the Hawaiian Tropics kind of book. Don't read too much into it -- as did the reviewer who saw it as not really a book, but a thinly veiled propoganda piece carefully constructed with the goal of destroying both George Bush AND Christianity. I can only roll my eyes and assume that this person does not engage in much secular reading. This novel is not a diatribe against Christianity, although we do meet one reverand who does not come across well. If this offends you, what happens when you read a newspaper? Not a month goes by without discovering that a real-life man of the cloth has done much worse.
As for the George Bush reference, yes, there are two, maybe three sentences scattered throughout the book in which Miranda's mother makes it clear that she is not a fan of (then) President Bush. But hey, in real life, Dubya left office with something like a 22% approval rating and was specifically begged not to show up at rallies, fund-raisers or any other event by virtually every Republican candidate. Wouldn't that make Miranda's mom in the mainstream...not some Terrorist Threat? This book is not about politics. It is not a plot by President Obama-the-Nigerian-Born AntiChrist-Who-Wants-To-Kill-Your-Puppy. There is no hidden agenda, okay. It's just a very readable book...with at least two sequels! So relax. Chill out. And pay no attention to those Liberals behind the curtain. Heh heh.
Summary of Life As We Knew It
Miranda?s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda?s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.
Veteran author Susan Beth Pfeffer, who penned the young adult classic The Year Without Michael over twenty years ago, makes a stunning comeback with this haunting book that documents one adolescent's journey from self-absorbed child to selfless young woman. Teen readers won't soon forget this intimate story of survival and its subtle message about the treasuring the things that matter most?-family, friendship, and hope.--Jennifer Hubert
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