Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.
another book that I couldn't put down While this novel is about the same events as was Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone is a much different book. It is darker, scarier, and feels more real. Even though I really enjoyed the first one, I have to say that I think this companion is even better. Even though it is a lot more haunting and troubling, I think it follows more closely what would actually happen if something like this did occur in real life. Something I really liked about this book that wasn't present in the first one is Pfeffer's discussion of class. The Morales family lived in an apartment building that the father maintained, but because Alex had received some sort of scholarship (I think), he went to a private Catholic high school, so the majority of his friends had plenty of money. Therefore, many of the people he knew had no problem getting out of New York (it was stated quite explicitly that money and connections can get you anywhere), while Alex and his sisters were forced to stay behind. Class differences aren't often mentioned in fiction, and I definitely think that if this nightmare were to happen in real life, class differences would make a HUGE difference in whether you lived or died. So it was nice to see Pfeffer recognize something like that.
Another blogger mentioned that he/she (can't remember who it was...) felt that the overall premise of these two books was somewhat lacking because if this were to happen in real life, most likely some scientist somewhere would have predicted that an asteroid hitting the moon would have consequences for the earth, and precautions would have been taken before the catastrophe could occur. I do think that blogger is correct, so I was somewhat bugged by that while reading this book, but I forced myself not to think about it and just focus on the story. Awesome story, somewhat shaky premise, excellent writing, great characters... overall a really solid book, one that I'm happy to recommend.
Enjoyable Read with some problems The Dead and the Gone The Dead and the Gone is a very interesting concept. A young boy, named Alex, lives a normal life in New York. He works at a Pizza shop and goes to an all-Christian male school called Vincent De Paul. One day while working there is a large commotion outside and chaos seems to have taken some people over. It turns out that something crashed into the moon and caused it to fall out of orbit, and closer to the earth. The puts more gravitational force on the earth and causes many problems over a long period of time.
Alex doesn't seem concerned at the time. He goes home and attends to his two sisters, Bri and Julie. His mother is has been called to the hospital that she works at, and his father is in Puerto Rico attending a funeral. Alex has a brother named Carlos, but he is in the Marines. They are all alone and the world is falling apart.
Most of the book is based around them surviving. The world is rapidly changing and they have to adapt to it. Tides are rising and could overflow into New York. Volcanoes are erupting all over the world causing the sky to turn black. The darkened sky produces freezing weather, even in the summer. Food is becoming scarce and they begin only eating once a day, and it is only a spoonful of beans or something similar.
The other portion of the book is them living their daily life. This is the part I do not like. Within 6 pages of the book, the Moon has been hit. From there Alex and his family just go about their business. They go to school, church, and go through their daily routine. They constantly try to convince you the world is falling apart, but not that much anarchy occurs in Alex's life until the near end of the book. The characters never make it feel like their lives are threatened that much.
Alex is extremely religious too. He seems to pray every other line in this book. He is also Puerto Rican, so he speaks in Spanish while saying things every now and then. This is annoying to someone like me who doesn't speak Spanish. The religious Spanish speaking kid just came off to me as too fake.
The story does get very good in the last 50 or so pages. I felt like it was a worthwhile book. The author seems to use the words said, replied, and other generic endings for what her characters are saying. Still, I felt like this was a worthwhile book, despite being a little bland through some of the book.
Spellbinding companion to Life As We Knew It This is a companion book to "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer. A meteor has hit the moon, knocking it out of orbit and as a result, chaos reigns in earth. Major weather disturbances...tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanos, etc. have caused havoc. All systems are down... communications, utilities, agriculture, etc. In this story, three young Puerto-American teens living in New York City must learn to survive on their own when both parents are unable to get back home after the crisis. This is a survival, dystopic kind of book, written for teens. At the same time the children are figuring out how to survive, they are also going through the usual struggles of adolesence...who am I? I'm not good enough? What will my future be? This book and it's companion, Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer are compelling and hard to put down. A must-read for teens and adults alike!
The sci-fi is more beleive able the the religious overtones. The sci-fi aspects of this book are interesting and the ramifications raise many valid avenues for discussion. What is not believeable are the religous aspects of the teen involved. Has the author met an American teenager recently? All of the teens I know are brighter, tougher, and much more pragmatic than the characters presented in this book. Okay, they still love their drama and don't always make great decisions, but they aren't dropping to their knees to pray over every problem they face. Anyone giving this book a 5 star rating is either working for the publisher or is a member of the authors family. NO TEEN would ever rate this book above 2 stars!
Enchanting YA Review: The Dead and The Gone THE DEAD AND THE GONE SUSAN BETH PFEFFER
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales worries whether or not he'd be senior class president or if he'll get a scholarship to Georgetown. But all these concerns fade on the fateful day a meteor hits the moon. Life as he knows it will never be the same.
Alex is left to take care of his two younger sisters while trying to survive. New York City is no longer the bustling city he remembers. Corpses and rats line the streets. The only thing that still seems normal is St. Vincent de Paul, his Catholic school, where the kindness of the priests helps him survive day by day. If the severe climate changes don't kill him, then staying in NYC will. Will the faith of his sister Bri be enough for them or will Alex have to prove to himself that he has the strength to help not only himself but his sisters to survive as well?
I loved this story. I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. Ms. Pfeffer does an excellent job describing the horrors Alex and his sisters face once the meteor hits. Not knowing the fate of either of his parents, Alex calls the hotline and makes an appointment to check bodies at the Yankee Stadium. This scene haunted me.
I loved the depiction of the priests and nuns and how they looked out for the students under their care; also how Alex learns how to look beyond his own concerns and help not just himself but his family. Alex's struggles and fears were very realistic. Who knows what others would do in a similar situation?
Alex's strength and courage stayed with me long after I finished this tale.
I'd highly recommend this book. Also I recommend the first book, Life As We Knew It.
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