Life, After [Hardcover]

Sarah Darer Littman (Author), Sarah Littman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2010

From the author of PURGE and CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC, a new book that is searing, gripping, and impossible to put down.

Dani's life will never be the same again.

After a terrorist attack kills Dani's aunt and unborn cousin, life in Argentina-private school, a boyfriend, a loving family-crumbles quickly. In order to escape a country that is sinking under their feet, Dani and her family move to the United States. It's supposed to be a fresh start, but when you're living in a cramped apartment and going to high school where all the classes are in another language-and not everyone is friendly-life in American is not all it's cracked up to be. Dani misses her old friends, her life, Before.
But then Dani meets

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–In 2002 in Argentina, Dani Bensimon weathers the political and economic crisis that is dragging her middle-class Jewish family into poverty and her formerly loving father into depression. They are all still grieving over the death of her pregnant aunt and her unborn child in the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA building, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Many of the teen's friends have left the country, including her novio, Roberto. Eventually, the Bensimons relocate to the New York suburbs and Dani must work hard to remain the dutiful, perfect, helpful daughter. While the plot is predictable, supporting characters are direct from after-school-special casting, and the narrator is at times a bit too wholesome, this affecting book works in its entirety. It shows a place and part of recent history left mostly unexamined in YA literature, highlighting an act of terrorism in Argentina and a Latin American immigrant. Dani's experiences give her insight and empathy into a community suffering the aftermath of 9/11. Littman's sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases throughout gives a genuine feel to her dialogue, and her references to Jewish customs also fit smoothly into the context. This immigrant story is easy to swallow, if a bit weighty in tone, very much like Christine Gonzalez's The Red Umbrella (Knopf, 2010).–Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

In this lachrymose emigration story, hard economic times in Buenos Aires, the steady flight of friends and neighbors to Israel and the U.S., and finally her mother’s injuries in a flash mob prompt teenage Daniela Bensimon and her parents to relocate to suburban New York. The transition is a hard one—particularly for her father, who lost his small business and a close relative in a terrorist bombing—but thanks to high-school friendships with a classmate with Asperger’s syndrome and his protective twin sister, as well as a deepening relationship with another student named Brian, Daniela makes it over the rough spots, and by the end she is feeling “a little less like an extranjera and a little more like an americana.” Littman definitely overuses tears as an intensity-builder but weaves sensitively articulated themes (the story is set in 2003, when the impact of 9/11 was still sharp) and credible teen banter into an emotionally complex tale. Daniela’s many amusing encounters with idiomatic expressions in her new language may provide an additional draw for ELL readers. Grades 6-9. --John Peters

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545151449
• ISBN-13: 978-0545151443
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,301,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Darer Littman, writer, mother, and unpaid chauffeur, is a living example of the cliche, "Life Begins at 40." After spending much of her adult life doing things she didn't really plan to, including such diverse occupations as financial analyst and farmer's wife, she at long last found her true calling as a writer. Her first book, CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC won the 2006 Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers and LIFE, AFTER was a 2011 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. Her latest book, WANT TO GO PRIVATE? is a YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of 2011. She indulges her adult voice as a columnist for the Hearst Newspapers in CT and writes for CTNewsJunkie.com

Sarah lives in CT with her two teenage children and an adorable Havanese in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars There is a life after September 26, 2010

By Hooked on Books

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Dani's life will never be the same. She lives in Argentina where life for Jewish families is beginning to deteriorate. She has lost her Aunt and unborn cousin in a terrorist attack. Her father has lost his business and there isn't enough money to put food on the table for her family. But Dani just wants life to return to normal. But what is normal? After much thought the family decides to immigrate to New York for a "fresh start". But a new start in a new city with a new language and no jobs isn't that easy. Dani's family moves into a tiny rented apartment provided by the Jewish Family Services with hand-me-down clothes. Dani's father is clinically depressed and her mother is now the major breadwinner for the family. Dani finds that living in America isn't all that it is cracked up to be. She misses her old friends, her home, her private school and especially her novio, boyfriend. But suddenly life changes when Dani makes a new friend Jon, who isn't like the other kids. Soon in this new life she learns about healing and forgiveness and about moving on to the life after....

This is a great story about life changes and coping with a loss. This story, written by Sarah Littman, the author of the 2006 Sydney Taylor Teen Book Award, Confessions of a Closet Catholic, is another authentic story about teens with real feelings. In real situations. A recommended read for grades 6-9th.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful story from Littman August 2, 2010

By The Book Muncher VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Dani has lived in Argentina her whole life. She and her family have survived the death of her aunt in a brutal terrorist attack and nearly all the effects of the Crisis--the economic depression that caused the family business to close, the protests in the streets, having family and friends move away to find a better life elsewhere. But with the situation in Argentina gradually deteriorating, Dani's family knows they can no longer stay, so they move to America to make a fresh start. For Dani, this transition is extremely difficult. Having school in an entirely different language with people who aren't entirely friendly is only the half of it. Dani doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere, at school or at home, and more than anything, she misses the way things were Before. But through some unexpected friendships, Dani may find the courage to heal, forgive, and move on.

Life, After is a novel that tackles undoubtedly serious topics, particularly the aftershocks of terrorist attacks, but in a surprisingly innocent and somewhat light way. What I mean to say is that although many characters are confronted by deep grief by the loss of someone close to a terrorist attack, the overall tone of the story isn't overwhelmingly intense in the way of this pain. The effects of this are that the story never gets too depressing despite its content but also that this story isn't quite as meaningful as it could be. I love the undercurrent of hope running throughout the entire story, because it makes reading about Dani's situation bearable. At the same time though, because the most personal effects of terrorist attacks are not the main focus of the story, any larger message regarding that was mostly lost. Life, After is definitely a sweet and hopeful story, accurate in its depictions of Argentinean language and culture and the struggles of immigrants, but unfortunately, it lacked a certain something that will resonate deep with readers beyond just being enjoyable.

Though a lighter read, Life, After will also be enjoyed by fans of Purge, also by Sarah Darer Littman. Those who liked Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach may also want to check this novel out.

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome!! January 22, 2013

By RAMONA ALLRED

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

i love it!! best read ever i highly recomend this to any one who injoys interesting happy books. it will make you cry buy more importantly laugh! (: