Life as We Knew it

Back Cover: Miranda's disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. In her journal, Miranda records the events of each desperate day, while she and her family struggle to hold on to their most priceless resource--hope.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Miranda is a high school student who keeps a journal of her everyday actions. The writing is a simple, easy to digest form. What I love so much about this book is the main character Miranda. She is a sometimes selfish individual who is reacting honestly, and to the best of her abilities, to a natural disaster. We all like to think that we would be heroes in the face of danger, but your never really sure of how you will react at that moment. 

As a group of people who rely so heavily on man-made amenities (running water, electric, heat...etc.) we tend to think that nothing can interrupt these things. Life as we Knew it brings us to a world where things appear they will never be the same...one must learn to adapt and live on. It made me think about how incredibly unprepared I would be for such an event to occur. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm going to (or advising you) to run out and stock pile on canned goods and warm clothes, but Life as We Knew it was an eye opener. 

For example, Miranda and her family have to be conscience of their water usage, in fear of their well drying out, their food intake, in fear of running out of food, and their fuel usage, in fear of not having heat for the cold months. We (society in general) are such wasteful individuals. We run the water constantly when brushing our teeth, through good food away for the fact that we are too full, and crank the heat up with open windows. 

I was so engrossed in this book that when I did put it down I had to remind myself I was not living in a world where the Moon was closer and havoc was prevailing. I decided to read this book on a recommendation and I'm glad I did. Also, I just found out it's a series and I can't wait to start the next one!