When the Moon is knocked out of orbit by an asteroid, it becomes a strange menace hanging low in
the sky. And the world starts to end -- or that's what it feels like
for teenage Miranda. Tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanoes, and epidemics
ensue as she chronicles her family's struggle to stay alive through the
collapse of their (and our) way of life in great and sometimes
heartbreaking detail. Always believable, always human, Miranda's story
is harrowing, but it brings with it a multitude of rewards for the
reader. And -- at least on the topics I knew enough to be able to judge (public health, societal collapse) -- Susan Beth Pfeffer gets it pretty much right.
I don't have time at the moment to give Life As We Knew It the fuller take it deserves, but please, do read it. Especially if you're secretly (or openly) obsessed with post-apocalyptic scenarios, societal collapse, deadly epidemics, etc. etc. Oh, I should caution though that you should also be a fan of fantastic writing and extreme emotional believability, in addition to that other stuff. This book is INTENSE.
And highly recommended. Thanks to Jennifer for pointing it out.
UPDATED: And it's now up for the Andre Norton Award; yet another reason to check it out.
