this world we live in by Susan Beth Pfeffer

this world we live in by Susan Beth Pfeffer

It has been a year since the world ended. It has been a year since a catastrophic asteroid hit the moon and knocked it out of its natural orbit. The seas heaved, volcanoes erupted, and the world went mad. Miranda and her family have survived a long, cold winter in Pennsylvania. The spring and summer come slowly, and Miranda’s father returns with her step-mother Lisa, and their child, Gabriel. With them comes several other people, including Alex and Julie Morales. Miranda and Alex develop feelings for each other, but Alex’s plans for the future are pulling them apart. Can their love survive in this world that is so torn apart?

I could not put down the two previous books in this series and this book was no exception. This post -apocalyptic novel will hold your attention to the very end. This World We Live In reverts back to the journal style that makes Life as We Knew It so compelling. I am amazed at how perfectly the author keeps Miranda’s voice consistent and real. In fact it was drawn so completely back into this world that it was hard for me to stay there, because the situation they are in is so dark. Yet, once again there is comfort in how Miranda’s family draws together and supports one another. The ending of this book was really dark, and I disliked it. I was mad at Miranda for days afterward. She finally gives into despair and does something so horrible that I don’t know how she could stand to live with herself. It really was painful to read. This one really makes you think about deep moral issues such as, our responsibility to help others in need, under what circumstances it is better to live or die, and what we will do for those we love.

I’m getting all sad again just writing this review. I don’t know if I can really recommend this one. All I can say is that it will not leave you untouched.

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The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer


This book is not a sequel to Life as We Knew It, but a companion book. The plot line is the same—moon is hit by asteroid causing apocalyptic meltdown worldwide—it is the setting and characters that are different. Miranda and her family are stranded in suburb in Pennsylvania. They are a typical middle class, divorced family, which doesn’t have official religious connections. In fact religion is not really mentioned at all.

The Dead and the Gone tells the story of Alex Morales, a son of Puerto Rican immigrants, devout in the catholic faith, and living the middle of New York City. Alex attends an all boys catholic school on scholarship, and does everything he can to prepare for a good college education. He is working at his job when the moon is hit by the asteroid, and doesn’t know what is happening at first. His mom is working at the hospital at her new job as a surgery technician, and his father is attending a wedding in Puerto Rico. Since his elder brother Carlos is a Marine in California that leaves him, a 17 year old, in charge of his two little sisters for the time being. He soon learns that his father won’t be back from Puerto Rico any time soon, and in fact may have been killed in the huge tidal waves that hit the island. Then his mom never comes back from her job, and that leaves him in the huge city fending for himself, and his sisters until things get better or until they can get out.

I really enjoyed reading this book, thought I really liked Life as We Knew It better than the dead an gone I still thought it was a riveting read. It really is much darker than the first book. Alex steals stuff from bodies to buy food on the black market. A flu epidemic hits the city and the bodies lay out on the streets to get eaten by rats. Details like that make this book a bit more depressing to read, but you again get caught up in the characters struggle to survive. Again the theme of taking care of family is a big theme in the book. Alex does all he can to protect his sisters, and you really feel for him when he has to make hard decisions about how to take care of them.

I really enjoyed reading something from a Catholic character’s perspective that didn’t portray the church structures in a bad light. Reading a book with strong Catholic religion themes isn’t something I do often. So it was nice to read something from a new point of view. I’ve discovered I like to read stories about faith. This story doesn’t really bring up the almost cliché why does God allow such bad things to happen, but could still provoke interesting questions about how faith helps us to get through times of trial.

I would probably recommend this one for older teenagers as the themes are kind of dark, but it still an engaging book that is hard to put down once you get started.

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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda starts hearing warnings that an asteroid is going to hit the moon. School and life go on as usual while everyone speculates about the upcoming event. No one expected that the moon would be knocked out of its place when the stray asteroid hit it. No one expected their entire world to change.

Power is lost, phone lines go down, gas shortages, grocery store raids, and other mayhem occurs as people prepare for the worst. News that tides have turned into tidal waves and previously dormant volcanoes have erupted only make the situation more dangerous. Miranda and her family will have to find a way to make it through one long dark winter, together.

This is a really compelling read, and it is hard to put down. I loved how the story was told in first person journal format, and I really related to Miranda’s character. I loved how honest she came across in her journal entries. At the beginning of the book she sounded so similar to my thoughts about life when I was her age. Then you get sucked into worrying about how she and her family are going to survive this apocalyptic type situation. The entire world is affected by this natural disaster of epic proportions, but there is a sense the world is still moving on. Everyone is still trying to survive, and her family becomes the most important thing.

This one will definitely have you taking stock of the food in your cupboards, and pondering what you would do when the worst happened. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to all. The Sequel This World We Live In comes out in April and I'm way excited to read it.

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