Customer Reviews

Life As We Knew It (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(142)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

In this new novel "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the author of the highly regarded "The Year Without Michael" and many other books, a cataclysmic astronomical event threatens the very existence of the world and all of humankind. An event like this is too immense to imagine in any detail, but the story is told from the point of view of one 16 year old girl living in Pennsylvania, and the apocalyptic event is viewed from the perspective of one person in this seemingly isolated corner of the world.

Miranda begins her diary entries with the usual teen business of school, friends and family with a little digression into figure skating fandom. The forecast collision between asteroid and moon seems like a fun event, as well as an excuse for homework assignments from her teachers, in other words, of interest but not particularly interesting. But the unexpected happens and the collision knocks the moon out of its normal orbit around earth and terrible things begin to happen. Life as Miranda knew it changes quickly and relentlessly from one of normality to a frightening spectre of violent death and terrible deprivation. As suddenly as this happens in parts of world where tsunamis, earthquakes and floods wipe out huge areas of land and people, the changes in Miranda's world occur more gradually but relentlessly. Miranda's world becomes more and more focused on the tragedy and the effects of the global climactic change, and her frame of reference as a teen in a world of school, friends, sports and the future, shrinks down to the day to day survival of herself and her family of four. Miranda struggles to maintain her identity, her physical existence and her hope in the face of frightening odds against her.

The novel is a dark microcosmic view of a small town family facing the worst that life can throw at them, but it never loses hope even in the face of hopelessness. Miranda muses at one point in the book that she might as well enjoy today no matter how bad it is, because tomorrow was going to be worse. And yet there are little joys, rays of hope, tantalizing moments of what passes for normal in the midst of an ever darkening prognosis for survival. Miranda remains true to who she is and her family shows the strength of their commitment to each other throughout this ordeal.

There are no fairy tale endings to this book, but it does end on a hopeful note and the reader is left with the conviction that better days may yet be ahead. There are moments of humor as well as despair, moments of anger as well as love and a compelling story line that makes it hard to put the book down. Miranda's fate becomes a personal issue, we want to know what happens to her and her family and we care.

This is the author's best book to date, sure to be a classroom classic and popular with teens as well as an engrossing read for adults. Don't miss this one!

Do the concerns of a teenage girl disappear in a post-apocalyptic world? Not for Miranda, the protagonist in Susan Beth Pfeffer's novel about life after a climate-changing astrological event. The moon has been struck by an asteroid, knocked into an orbit nearer Earth, causing tsunamis, flooding, and volcanic activity. High school junior Miranda watches her world turn upside down. Her mother chastises her children for thoughts of generosity and declares that they must think only about their own family's survival. They learn to shop for every possible food item when the shelves are stocked, how to maneuver the gas rationing lines, and how to make the most of their few daily hours of electricity. The family must protect their cat to prevent him from being snatched from the road as a food source.

Miranda thinks most of her mother's disaster-readiness is a bit silly, but she's willing to play along until the world rights itself. Unfortunately, New York, Boston, and Rhode Island are completely under ocean water, and the president has abandoned Washington, D.C. for his Texas ranch. Miranda is still coping with the death of one of her circle of friends, and feeling alienated from her two remaining friends. She has a crush on Dan, and they've been flirting at the town pond every day. Miranda's mom is rationing the canned goods, but Miranda is not above feeling resentful about the family's focus on nutrition for their precious younger son.

Life as We Knew It is an excellent book for discussion in a classroom or book club. Issues of looting, bribery, and rationing are raised. Miranda watches as one friend gets lost to a religious cult, while the parents of her other friend end up sending her off with an older man for a better life (they hope) down south. Services we take for granted, like the post office and police station, run sporadically and only when ordinary citizens put their lives on the line to be there.

The strength of Pfeffer's book is in Miranda's voice, and her conflicted feelings about self-sacrifice, jealousy, and a desire to be a normal teenager. Life does go on even after the apocalypse, and Miranda shows us how a modern teen might react. The female friendships in the book are a bit weak and serve more as background "hot button issues" than as an integral part of the story. Overall, this is a must-read, and definitely a book to try on reluctant readers.

I am sorry to say I thought this was one of the worst books I have ever read. This is really a shame because the premise of the book is fantastic, and the cover art just begs you to read it. I love me a dystopian/end of the world/get some food storage book, so I was all curled up on a Friday night ready to enjoy. I am sorry to say that in my humble opinion, it was a poorly thought out, ridiculous book.

First of all, Ms. Pfeffer is obviously a very angry liberal. Now to my liberal friends, don't get your dander up, I am not critiquing liberals in general. I am just saying that no matter what your angry politics are, it is a mistake to use them as a platform for your book unless you are a dang good writer, which Pfeffer is not. Let me give you some examples. The President in this novel is very obviously George W. Bush. I don't know why she doesn't just come out and say it or what the point is in trying to oh so cleverly disguise it. The author loves to get her digs in when it comes to conservatives. The problem with this is that it prevents you from suspending your disbelief. You feel like you hear the author's voice rather than a 16-year old teen. For example, the world is falling apart, tsunamis have destroyed the east coast, CNN had lost it's feed, but they won't watch FOX news because it's FOX news. Seriously? Then, throughout the book the mother calls the President "Idiot" all through the book...even when he gets food to them when they are days away from starving. About the third time you think, okay, we've got the point, you hate George Bush. Let it go now, for the sake of your book. The next thing Pfeffer hates is anyone religious. Anyone in this book who prays or believes in God is a bona fide delusional idiot and she portrays them this way any chance she can get. They say things like, "I don't need food, God will fill me." Anyone religious in the book is a mean-spirited, judgemental, repent-you-sinners caricature. Really though, both of Miranda's friends are caricatures: the Crazy Christian and the Selfish Skank.

I probably could have dealt with this if the plot holes weren't so big you could drive a truck through them. In Pfeffer's dystopian world everyone starves politely. There is no looting, no depravity. There are no roving gangs, no one begging for food, no one. The family stays in their home for a year with no one coming to their door until the end when one man asks for some Tylenol. The author never mentions neighbors. There are no safety concerns. The mom lets her teenage daughter just wander around the streets. No problems with armed people. No people walking the interstates, etc. This was so unbelievable. In fact nothing much happens the whole book. They live in their sunroom and watch their food dwindle, and that's pretty much it. No plots, twists, or turns. The people in Pfeffer's society basically think, "Aw heck, guess we're going to die. I'll just lie in my bed and watch my children go. No sense bothering anyone or desperately trying to find food." In her book, no one ransacks a house until the owners die and nearby family takes what they want first. This is not any kind of official mandate, just an unspoken rule. So thoughtful!

It's almost like Pfeffer started the end of the world but then choked -- couldn't close the deal. It's like it's doomsday lite: The positive version! Deaths in this book are nameless and faceless. Suffering is distant--it happens to others, but not her family. Her brother makes it home somehow from upstate NY, no one in her family dies or seriously injures themselves. The only death you witness is the elderly friend who dies of natural causes in a painless and typically polite manner.

Other hard to believe things: The east coast has gone, earthquakes rip through the country, volcanoes erupt, the sun is obscured by ash and the world goes into permanent winter, the police lock the doors and disappear, but the school board meets and decides to keep schools open!! Yes, spontaneous lightning storms are killing people left and right, but darn if the kids don't go to school! That's because God isn't important but higher education is! So you might be starving to death, but at least you know you could have gotten into Cornell. I know I personally would have no problem watching my small children walk all alone through possible death to get to school each day.

Also, anyone who has read any type of end-of-the-world scenario knows the hospital is the last place you want to go once there is no electricity or running water. They run rampant with staph and deadly bacteria. But not here! The hospital is up and running the entire time. And the east coast is gone, Alaska, and California, but there is still internet access whenever the electricity is on.

The mother in the book constantly drills into her children's head that you don't help anyone. Don't tell anyone that supplies have come. When Miranda tells a friend of hers that they are giving out food her Mom berates her for it. Then the family fights and screams hateful things at each other the entire time. The main character in the book, Miranda, is a total brat who yells at her mom because her mom won't let her eat whatever she wants. It made it hard to like these characters or really care about them.

One of the only plot twists is that a form of virulent flu comes to town. We're talking 1918 flu. Anyone still alive basically dies. Except for our heroine's family. They all get terribly sick, but even when everyone else is decimated, and all of the hospital staff except two dies, they are miraculously fine. Too bad it didn't take the Idiot president! Oh, and we find out Yellowstone volcano blows up, but Texas and all states nearby are fine except for a little ash. Anyone who has turned on the Discovery Channel in the last ten years knows that if that volcano in Yellowstone goes, half the continent does as well. It's as if the author was too lazy to do any real research at all.

The book's ending almost made me laugh out loud. Our heroine walks down the empty street one day, expecting to die as there is no more food. But hark! She finds a piece of paper that says the city hall is open! She goes down there right before they close (because you always keep regular hours when the world is ending) and finds out the government is handing out a bag of food from now on each Monday. Where does this food come from? Does it drop out of the sky? Was it trucked in even though there is no gas anywhere? Is it magic food since she has already told us that the factories are destroyed and crops failed everywhere? And how convenient that City Hall is open since we've been told the police, postal office, government officials are all gone. Did a nice receptionist greet her at the door? Did they help her get a new social security card while they're at it? Who cares! The government took care of everyone and the book is over.

Apparently from the number of stars this book has received I am one of the few people who feel this way. So read the book if you'd like and then use it for toilet paper. Unless TP comes in the magic government bag of food that arrives right in the nick of time!

"Life As We Knew It" is exciting, thought-provoking, and unique in this genre for its realism. By using Miranda's diary as the method to tell the story, the reader really does get a chance to participate in the events as they unfold.

The reviews posted so far on Amazon are sufficient in summarizing the plot and commenting on the quality of the writing. It's obvious that a few issues stand out to many readers, and that those of us who have read this book are interested in what others think about them, so for that reason I'll offer my own opinions.

First, I'm not a scientist, and I can't comment on the feasibility of the asteroid/moon event. To me, it's just a device to set up the story - the author needed a worldwide cataclysm, and invented a cosmic event. If your fiction choices have to line up with hard science and you won't be able to get past this scenario, you probably shouldn't try reading this book.

Yes, I thought the jabs at the President, Fox News, etc., were unnecessary to the story, and only served to alienate part of the audience. Aside from that, I found Miranda's Mom to be a very interesting character. I cheered for her when she took quick, decisive action in buying supplies (even thinking of cat food, tampons, and baby clothes) and growing food. Many readers have accused her of cruelty or inconsistency; but I think her struggles were entirely realistic. She had to make the choice to provide for her family; to her, this meant shutting off her compassion for the outside world - and she's clearly tormented by it. But she still is able to open her heart to enfold her ex-husband and his new wife and unborn child, as well as an elderly family friend; and she does everything she can to provide some sense of normalcy for her family (like sending Johnny to baseball camp).

The biggest turn-off to many readers seems to be Ms. Pfeffer's evident anti-Christian bias, and I agree that it's discouraging to see how many recent teen novels portray people of faith as only brazen hypocrites or deluded fanatics. I understand that in the sequel, she presents the main characters as devout believers who hold to their faith while facing doubts and asking honest questions - but would it have been so difficult to show some balance, instead of reaching for two extremes? The only examples of religious belief the author could show us in "Life As We Knew It" are bit characters who naively hope for God's protection as the world falls apart around them, and poor Megan, who belongs to a sect whose members point fingers of judgment at others and punish themselves even more severely. When disaster strikes in this country, the local churches are the first to provide food, clothing, shelter, and comfort. For every highly publicized group placing blame, there are a dozen organizations and countless volunteers helping to save lives and reclaim what was lost. For all its realism in other areas, it's surprising that you can't find a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, medical clinic, or school sponsored by churches in Miranda's town. They all seem to be too busy berating people and starving themselves to death.

Though the armed gangs were mentioned briefly, they did not seem to be much of a threat. With the shortages of food and other supplies, I think there would have been constant danger from raiders invading private homes. Maybe this was conveniently avoided, since it would have led to the question of the necessity of having a gun to protect one's home and family.

Regardless of its weaknesses, this novel will make you think, and your mind will place you in Miranda's blighted world for quite some time to come as you consider how you and your family would survive there.

There are real problems with the idea of this story. I do love the idea but the writing shows that she really didn't give much thought on the subject. First of all for the moon to move that quickly, I don't care what might have happened is impossible. Second of all the no electricity concept is good but does this author not realize when you have no electricity, water wells do not work. The old ones where you draw water up from the well but in this day and time water wells are used with electric pumps. I also am appalled that we have this idea that the government will save us from this catastrophe. My question was at the end, why were the government officials in such good shape where everyone else was dying, What made them above all the problems? And why would I believe for a moment that the government would still be able to function at this level after such a catastrophe? It's an idea well worth writing a book about but it needs to be done with better thought.

When I was growing up during the 1970's I remember this article in the Sacramento Bee warning us of the massive earthquake that would cause California to slid into the Pacific ocean. Jean Dixon, a psychic and favorite of the tabloids, gave similar gloom and doom predications. My mother would tell me that it wouldn't happen. That this was just a way to sell newspapers.

But I oftened wondered what if they were right?

Susan Beth Pfeffer in her latest book LIFE AS WE KNEW IT explores this theme. Miranda is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She lives with her younger brother and mother. Her father's new wife is pregnant and asks her to be the godmother.

She struggles for good grades, has an crush on a local ice skater named Brandon, and struggles with one of her good friends overly religious views.

Then comes word of meteor headed on a collision path with the moon. The media plays this up and whole neighborhoods have block parties to celebrate the event. But then something goes terribly wrong.

Miranda watches as her life changes. Gas goes up to $12 a gallon, supermarkets run out of food, and school is closed indefinitely.

Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does.

This story is told in diary form and asks an important question. What's most important in this life? Thoughout the novel, Miranda watches as her family pulls together. And hope is not a four letter word.

I couldn't put this book down. The author did a great job of showing the horror and terror of a world disaster through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old. Miranda tries to stay normal though the world falls apart. She even wonders if Dan, her boyfriend, would know she was even around if things were normal.

This is a great what-if story and will make you think long after you finish the last page. And isn't that what good fiction is all about?

This book caught my eye and when I read the dust jacket, I thought my teenage granddaughter would really enjoy it, and it helped that this is a Junior Library Guild Selection. I wanted to read a few pages for myself and when I did, I quickly became consumed by this wonderfully written story. I have not read Susan Beth Pfeffer before, but if LIFE AS WE KNEW IT is any indication of her other works, then I would highly recommend them all!

This fictional story is told in the first person of a 16 year old girl just finishing her Sophomore year and is written in the form of her journal. As the school year is coming to a close, all the buzz is around a meteor that is on a collision course with the moon. It was hailed as a big event in that it could be seen quite easily from earth with a simple pair of binoculars. The event turned out to be far more than a unique viewing experience, but rather a cataclysmic event that would alter human history. The collision would alter the moons orbit of the earth, moving it much closer than its' current orbit, causing catastrophic tidal waves, volcanic activity like never before, earthquakes, and sending humanity in a struggle for survival.

This book is particularly appropriate for young adults, but older readers will enjoy it as well. The young subject, Miranda, is followed as she faces life from an entirely new perspective. I believe readers both young and old will come away being much more appreciative of the tremendous luxury and freedoms we enjoy. Along the way, the book also stresses the importance of family, preparation, cooperation, sacrifice and many other virtues that we could all use a reminder of now and then.

I do have two very minor complaints about the book. It doesn't particularly cast a stellar light on Christianity as its' primary references to faith revolve around one of Miranda's friends who becomes a religious fanatic and her Pastor who is, as Miranda describes him, despicable. There is also a slight inflection of politics when Miranda's mother states that they are not yet desperate enough to get their news from Fox News and that the president is a moron. But those brief left leaning references soon pass and the rest of the book is so well written, even the staunchest of conservatives will easily overlook them.

I don't want to give away any more detail, so let me just summarize by saying, I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and believe my granddaughter will too.

Let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat: I have seen Armageddon way too many times. I've seen The Day After Tomorrow way too many times. Basically, I tend to gravitate toward natural disaster movies. The more disaster, the better! This is my motto. Roland Emmerich and I would be great friends.

Naturally, I would eventually stumble across Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It has everything I want: totally asinine global disaster caused by a completely impossible event that would never, ever happen ever. Ever. Usually, this sort of thing isn't a problem with me. For whatever reason, this time it is. What happens is this: an asteroid hits the moon. Instead of providing a fun show for everyone on earth, the asteroid happens to pack enough punch to send the moon hurtling out of its orbit. It strolls right up to the earth, and establishes a new orbit, and causes mass chaos. The tides go crazy, gobbling up coastal cities (except for Washington, DC, which somehow manages to escape this fate). Earthquakes rock the world. Every volcano on earth (including Yellowstone) erupts.

We're told of all of this in Miranda Day's diary. Miranda, a rising high school senior, is only sixteen when the world goes to hell, but she valiantly keeps writing down all the details as all of this goes down. The little trooper. Through her diary, we learn about the electrical outages, the price gouging at the gas pumps, the food hoarding, stockpiling wood for winter, the death lists, the roving teen gangs, the starvation diets, and baseball camp. Because even during the end of the world, there's baseball camp.

This is all well and good as a diary. It reads realistically for as unrealistic as the whole situation is. My main problem with this book happens to be the diary. It does a good job describing desperation, but it doesn't give any hint at all about why we should care about these people. The situation grabs you, but the people don't. They're flat aspects on a page, not living people I care about. In a book that demands that you care about the people during an apocalypse, where they are literally fighting for survival, you want to connect with them on some level. All you get are base emotions that are told to me instead of shown.

Then there's the plot. There isn't one. The world ends, it keeps ending, and lots of people die. The end. While that might be realistic and true to life, it's only absorbing because it's the apocalypse. If you're used to apocalypse fare, you need something else to happen because while huge tidal waves and food shortages are interesting, it's just scenery. Something needs to happen. These characters limit themselves to surviving in a house. Mentions are made of threats that could present a problem for them (roving armed gangs, for instance), and still nothing happens. Opportunities are explicitly laid out in front of these characters that would jump start a plot, and they routinely turn those opportunities down. Go to school every day? Nope, that's too dangerous. Move to where it's rumored to be better? Why, that would present hazardous adventure! Can't have that! It's not that you have to get out of the house to have a plot, but for the love of god let something happen to these characters. It's just day after day of chopping wood and eating canned string beans. This does not a story make.

All in all, it started losing my attention by the end. I'd gotten to the last reference I could take of canned goods, I suppose. I don't think I'll bother with the other two in the series.

SOOOOOO disappointing..

Man the concept gets a 5- but the follow through , character, character developement, plot, depth gets a 2 at most :(................

First I read this through in one day so it was an intriguing concept, but I did fell like I kept waiting for something more. More info, more depth, more I don't know, just more. It was very basic and superficial as a story, plot and character development.

The main problem for me may be that it was written from the perspective of a very immature 16 year old in diary form. And yes, a 16 should be able to be immature in their diary but it does not make for reading that makes me feel any connection to them. If I can not connect to any character let alone the main character what is good about it? I have a hard time figuring out the reccomended reading age range of this book. It's basic plot level and lack of any real big developements or depth tells me it should be for ages 10 and under, but the main "youth" characters are 13, 16 and 19.

There is an extensive look here at the hardships that would follow a family trying to surive such a catostrophic event. But that is a family really tucked safely away in a small suburb. I honeslty felt like I read more of a rushed plot outline for what could be a great book.

I was eternally frustrated with the lack of any real info about what was happening to the real world. Some bare conjecture we were supposed to take as fact. Then at the end it ended right in the middle of a spark of hope.

I also felt a lot of things they did, decision they made, and how life was going on for them just wasn't believeable or made sense. While other happenings were too convienent. Really a priority when you are thinking about stocking up on family needs is Cat Litter?? and cat food? You are looking for things to buy and you think of a pet store not a place to buy camping supplies? At least they could have thought to buy fish tank filters. How much $$ was wasted on the cat? Ohh and where did all the $$ come from so qickly that never seemed in danger of running out? So much lacked explaination and depth. They had their hardship, which were not heartfelt at all, but it has like a rated G, superficial, Disneyesque wanna make you feel good quality to it. Ohh and they boiled ash filled water and snow to consume, it would concentrate the ash into the water not purify it. Boiling only kills organisms not CLEANS it... It really seemed like NO reserch at all went into anything.

I have seen others comment that it cliched The president and churches. I agree. It relied on protraying a cliched worst case idea of each. In fact It seemed to yank them out of the blue because it fit a formula. And again lacked depth or background. Built up like a house of cards nothing sturdy and nothing holding together. And, like everything else including characers, was only a fleeting quickly passed over part of the story. I don't feel like anything really truely developed.

I had the foresight to request book one and 2 from my library and to my diappoointment book 2 is a companion to book 1 not a continueation. Meaning I go all the way back to the beginning, only now I know the basic plot of what is changing in the world I am just a few hundred miles away in a big city VS suburbia. And Book one has already told me some clues as things to expect in the weather and events in this general area so guess what? I am a bit peeved. Why were these 2 books not combined into one? I am relieved to see it is not in diary format so hopefully more character and event depth.

When there are YA books with so much meat and dynamic characters out there like the Hunger games this one really underperformed and is disappointing. Hunger games has minor characters with more depth and substance than this entire book. This one could have been soooooooooooooooo good. All the elements were there.

"When it got closer to 9:30, things got really quiet. You could sense we were all craning our necks, looking towards the sky. Jonny was at the telescope, and he was the first one who shouted that the asteroid was coming. And then it hit. Even though we knew it was going to, we were still shocked when the asteroid actually made contact with the moon...but the moon wasn't a half moon anymore. It was tilted and wrong. It got larger and was smack in the middle of the sky, way too big, way to visible..."

Miranda and her family's life get flipped upside down when an asteroid hammers the moon out of orbit, leaving the Earth in the collision course of the moon. Life as we Knew It, which is written in the form of Miranda's diary entries, is a suspenseful novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Miranda, the main character in the story, brings thrills into the book and makes you think about what you would do if you were in her position. The story's events are unpredictable and catch you by surprise. One day, stormy clouds could be pummeling down snow in Miranda's quiet neighborhood, and the next day, volcanoes could be erupting countless amounts of ash into the atmosphere. You will long to read about what happens next in this extraordinary story of love, fear, and mystery.

Life as we Knew It is a well written novel, filled with twists and turns that left me hanging onto the book. The thrilling storyline pulls you in teaches the reader about the terrible situation the characters have to face. Susan Beth Pfeffer clearly shows the fear and anxiety in each of the characters hearts. The detail of her descriptions makes you travel into the story and feel the emotions of the realistic characters.

All in all, if you long for a suspenseful novel that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat, this novel is sure to impress. Life as we Knew It is a book with a thrilling storyline and realistic characters. This book made me laugh and weep onto the pages. I will surely read this story again and again.