Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated listeners 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.
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"I finished reading this book some six weeks ago, and it still haunts me daily. The premise of this book (an asteroid hits the Moon and knocks it closer to the earth) might be unlikely scientifically. But if this event really happened, I think the aftermath depicted by Ms. Pfeffer is totally believable. Seventeen year old Alex Morales, living in upper Manhattan in an apartment building where is father is the super, is left responsible for himself and his two younger sisters after his parents do not return home after the event, and must be presumed dead. Alex must make some very hard choices in a world where conditions are worsening daily. What sustains him and his sisters is the devout Catholic faith they were raised in, along with the help of one of Alex's classmates. The religious touch was one I don't find in many dystopian novels, and it added an extra dimension to this beautiful, and at times horrific, story."
— Alana (5 out of 5 stars)
" Great series, read them all! "
— Brooke, 2/16/2014" I like that there is hope at the end of the story. "
— Ginger, 2/15/2014" So I read this one last and that gave a few things away. I knew something would happen to the one sister. The thing I took from this book was even though people were fending for themselves, I was impressed with how much they were helping others as well. I hope to never live through something like this. Especially to have to watch my children suffer. "
— Robyn, 2/4/2014" Hmm...going downhill from the first book. Maybe because it's not as intense as the first installment, or maybe because I can't relate much with the main character, Alex. But I'm still excited to read the last book, when Alex and Miranda will finally meet =) "
— Astrid, 1/30/2014" I read this one before LAWKI, so this one had the scare factor at the beginning whereas I was more comfortable by the idea in LAWKI. To be honest, this book creeped the hell out of me. It's amazing how realistic Pfeffer can make things be. And to be honest I enjoyed this perspective much more than Miranda's. It's a brilliant apocalyptic read. There were times when I had to set it down in order to fully process what was going. At times I even felt as if I were going through the same thing. "
— Victoria, 1/19/2014" It was a really good book. I kind of guested at the fact that the main character would leave New York but I never guessed how. I was also very supriced with the death of one of the main character's deaths. "
— Haley, 1/18/2014" Liked the first book in the series a LOT more. "
— Patrick, 1/1/2014" Interesting read, but really depressing! "
— Jeri, 12/18/2013" Liked the story , just a little too much God in it for my taste ... "
— Libby, 12/4/2013" Equal parts depressing and engaging. "
— Aastha, 12/3/2013" I just got the book but so far I think its getting pretty good. "
— Glenn, 11/27/2013Susan Beth Pfeffer’s first two apocalyptic novels, Life As We Knew It and The Dead & The Gone, received numerous awards and were widely praised by reviewers as action-packed, thrilling, and utterly terrifying. Both novels are also available on audio from Listening Library. In This World We Live In, the main characters from each of the previous audiobooks—Miranda Evans and Alex Morales—come together in a world where courage and faith blend seamlessly in the struggle to survive mass devastation.
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.