Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Life As We Knew It is told in diary entries of the main character Miranda. Miranda lives like we do, in a society of cell phones, internet, satellite tv, grocery stores and gas stations. But suddenly her life takes a major change.
You see there was a meteor that was scheduled to hit the moon. No big deal though, if you’ve ever seen the moon, you can see all the damage from meteors and asteroids right on the surface. Well it just so happens that this particular meteor. was a lot more dense then the astronomers initially thought so it knocks the moon closer to orbit, wham there it is! Well if you paid attention in science class, you might remember what exactly the moon does to our little planes. It controls the tides in the ocean with its gravitational pull. Or for you movie buffs remember that movie Bruce Almighty where Jim Carey is God, and he pulls the moon closer, you remember what happened right? Tsunami’s, major tsunamis’ all over the world, wiping out costal cities killing millions. And that’s just the beginning.
After the Tsunami’s there are earthquakes and massive volcanic eruptions from the moons constant pull. The entire sky is covered in a gray haze from the ash, effecting the climate, and killing crops.
Miranda’s story chronicles the constant struggle of her day to day life trying to survive in a world that may not have a future. Suddenly keeping warm and having enough to eat become a priority for every day. This story is not only a coming of age tale, but also a story of survival.
This is one of those novels that stays with you. You don’t realize how easy we have it. I know I can’t leave home without my cell phone now a days, yet years ago they didn’t even exist. But it isn’t only the technology we take for granted, it is also the simple things, like having a grocery story and being able to wash your hair. This story reminded me a lot of Anne Frank’s diary, even though the stories are totally different, the message is the same.
I’m looking forward to reading The Dead and the Gone, which is a companion the Life as We Knew It and examines the same events but is set in New York City. It is due to be released June 1, 2008.