Call number
J FIC PFE
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Harcourt Children's Books (2008), 336 pages
Description
After a meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales must take care of his sisters alone in the chaos of New York City.
Subjects
Media reviews
Pfeffer subverts all our expectations of how redemption works in teenage fiction, as Alex learns to live, and have faith, in a world where radical unfairness is the norm.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bellalibrarian
I am a really big fan of "Life as We Knew it" and I really enjoyed this one as well; however, I didn't like it quite as much as the first one. I think it's important to remember that as readers, we aren't quite as shocked about the circumstances that the characters are facing in the second book. (I
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think that's why we liked the first one so much) Still, this was a great book for young adults. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookgal123
I was excited to find out about this companion book to Life As We Knew It, but when I finally sat down to read it I was sorely disappointed. While the idea to show an urban viewpoint of the moon disaster was a good one, the main character, Alex, was so unbelievably stupid, infuriatingly
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unresourceful, and intensely unlikable that I didn't care if he lived or died. I highly recommend reading LAWKI, but I would skip this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjsbooks
As a big fan of Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It, I couldn't put my finger at first on why this companion novel, which also chronicles the effects of a catastrophic asteroid-moon collision, doesn't quite measure up. Two possible explanations: the third person narrative is not as immediate as the first
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person in the first novel, and Pfeffer is not as deep into the head of her protagonist, a Puerto Rican son of a New York City building super whose hopes of a college scholarship are dashed by the emergency. That said, this is still a gripping novel. It is not for the faint of heart; Alex's encounters with gigantic rats and dead bodies are vividly portrayed. Show Less
LibraryThing member FionaCat
This is a companion to Pfeffer's "Life as We Knew It" which was an intense, compelling story about a teenage girl's life after a world wide natural disaster changes everything. In "the dead and the gone" the main character is a teenage boy living in New York City going through the same sorts of
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tragedies, but somehow this story is nowhere near as compelling and riveting as the first one. Perhaps this is because "Life" was written in the first person, while "dead" is written in third person, which makes the story less immediate. Show Less
LibraryThing member galleysmith
Pfeffer continues her post-apocolyptic moon series with a stark urban counterpart to the rural setting of the first. The main character, Alex, is a New York City boy with a large family — two younger sisters, an older brother in the service and parents who work hard. When the moon shifts his
The other great strength of this book was that Pfeffer showed us the other side of the coin. In book one we got to see a family struggle through this catastrophic event from a place where things were so geographically dispersed. It was extremely difficult to get news or see neighbors or get to provisions because of the distance between homes and town. In this version it was easier to maintain some level of communication even if the information shared wasn’t anything that would necessarily help those struggling with the situation.
What struck me as odd, though, is that I was expecting far more chaos in the streets in this version. We got was far more subdued than I had anticipated it would be in such a circumstance. Don’t get me wrong there was the typical (and some creepy not so typical) looting and there was rationing and food bank lines that seemed to stretch for days so it wasn’t completely out of synch with my overall expectations; but I suppose I had it in my mind things would be a bit more closer to Stephen King’s The Stand where there is violence and car burning in the streets. This softer tone didn’t ruin anything for me as a reader it was just different.
This book placed a much greater emphasis on religion and faith than its predecessor. Book one did touch lightly on the religious aspect of an apocolyptic event but was surprisingly low key about it. This book, however, felt like it went a bit further to the extreme to make up for it. Not so much so that it was over the top or unrealistic but it was a noticeable change in tone and was a large part of the story as told. The way faith and religion infused within the story allowed for the theme to branch out in several directions across several characters.
There was much realism to the story told. We saw famine resulting in starvation, crime, debilitating illness, family squabbles, love and loss. We even got to see heroism in the face of extenuating circumstances. Above all there was hope to be had. Though not my favorite of the series thus far, if you enjoyed book one you’ll likely enjoy book two as well.
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family is dispersed enough that Alex assumes temporary responsibility for his sisters. Now suddenly thrust into the role of primary caretaker his life alters considerably from the future he envisioned. In this way I thought the book took advantage of it’s greatest strength — the characters. An ordinary boy his age, with a pizza parlor job, concentrating on school and the future instantly finds himself with a whole different set of responsibilities than envisioned. That drop of a hat shift in his focus overtook and overwhelmed his life.The other great strength of this book was that Pfeffer showed us the other side of the coin. In book one we got to see a family struggle through this catastrophic event from a place where things were so geographically dispersed. It was extremely difficult to get news or see neighbors or get to provisions because of the distance between homes and town. In this version it was easier to maintain some level of communication even if the information shared wasn’t anything that would necessarily help those struggling with the situation.
What struck me as odd, though, is that I was expecting far more chaos in the streets in this version. We got was far more subdued than I had anticipated it would be in such a circumstance. Don’t get me wrong there was the typical (and some creepy not so typical) looting and there was rationing and food bank lines that seemed to stretch for days so it wasn’t completely out of synch with my overall expectations; but I suppose I had it in my mind things would be a bit more closer to Stephen King’s The Stand where there is violence and car burning in the streets. This softer tone didn’t ruin anything for me as a reader it was just different.
This book placed a much greater emphasis on religion and faith than its predecessor. Book one did touch lightly on the religious aspect of an apocolyptic event but was surprisingly low key about it. This book, however, felt like it went a bit further to the extreme to make up for it. Not so much so that it was over the top or unrealistic but it was a noticeable change in tone and was a large part of the story as told. The way faith and religion infused within the story allowed for the theme to branch out in several directions across several characters.
There was much realism to the story told. We saw famine resulting in starvation, crime, debilitating illness, family squabbles, love and loss. We even got to see heroism in the face of extenuating circumstances. Above all there was hope to be had. Though not my favorite of the series thus far, if you enjoyed book one you’ll likely enjoy book two as well.
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LibraryThing member meerka
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Companion to Life As We Knew It which has to be one of my top ten YA books, but not neccesarily for young adults. The moon has fallen into an orbit closer to earth and the dominos fall as geophysic events cascade. LAWKI graphically describes the
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aftereffects of the event in a rural/suburban landscape while TDATG occurs in an urban setting where information seems less easy to obtain. For a good freak-out high, read LAWKI first. Show Less
LibraryThing member millme
Both The Dead and The Gone and Life as We Knew It are easy to "sell" to students. Appealing to kids that don't really like sci-fi.
LibraryThing member escondidolibrary
If you liked Pfeffer's last book, Life as We Knew It, and want to find out how a teen in New York City survives after an asteroid hits the moon bringing it closer to the earth and causing cataclysimic events such as tsunamis and volcanoes, check out this book. This one is about a teenage boy who is
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part of a close Puerto Rican family in New York City. His parents are presumed dead and he has to look out for his two younger sisters. Great survival story with a hopeful, if not happy, ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rickmaniac
You know, I loved Life As We Knew It, but the religious over and undertone of this one is just not attractive. There was but one moment in the course of the book that seemed "realistic" in terms of the relationship between Alex, our protagonist, Julie and Briana - his sisters. A few moments were,
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for me, profoundly emotional, but the story just doesn't have the same "snap" that her first novel had. I cared enough to finish the book, but wouldn't stay up all night as I did with Life As We Knew It. Show Less
LibraryThing member lrobe190
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,
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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! Show Less
LibraryThing member readingrat
If Life As We Knew It is dystopia 101, then this companion book is the next course up. This story takes place in New York during the same time frame as Life As We Knew It but this is a much darker tale and consequently much more believable.
LibraryThing member hpluver07
Imagine the moon crashes into the earth and the earth's climate changes. What would you or your family do? Find out what Alex's family does in The Dead and the Gone.
LibraryThing member seldombites
The Dead and the Gone tells the story of how a family in the city cope with the events described in Susan Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It. I loved Life As We Knew It and while I did enjoy this book, I did not feel it was as good. It was interesting to read the different ways the people in the city
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were affected as opposed to those in the country, and how the residents dealt with it. This is a good book to read but it simply doesn't have the urgency of the first one. Show Less
LibraryThing member HPPublicLibrary
This companion book to Life As We Knew It follows the post lunar disaster experiences of Alex, Julie and Bri, the children of a New York City apartment super. Like the previous book there are some flaws in the writing (why isn't anyone eating the rats?), but readers who liked Life As We Knew It may
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enjoy this book too. Show Less
LibraryThing member rfewell
I really enjoyed this re-telling of the same events that take place in *Life as We Knew It*. This one is set in New York City -- very different atomsphere than a rural-type setting.
LibraryThing member litelady-ajh
Companion book to Life as We Knew It, same event.. different perspective. I really enjoyed both books equally. Good book for older teens. (Makes me want to stockpile canned goods in my garage... just in case.)
LibraryThing member eduscapes
Written as a parallel story to Life As We Knew It, The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer tells the story from a very different perspective. We follow a New York City teen taking care of his two sisters in New York City during and after the disaster. More graphic than the first novel, this story
The author's blog discusses the next book related to this same disaster. It reveals information about the plots and characters, but I've decided to wait for the book to come out.
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also addresses some interesting themes related to religion and faith.The author's blog discusses the next book related to this same disaster. It reveals information about the plots and characters, but I've decided to wait for the book to come out.
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LibraryThing member 4sarad
I liked this book, but don't think it was as good as the first. The children didn't seem as bad off as the family in the first book, even though they were completely on their own. I was hoping that in this book the characters would risk traveling somewhere and was sad they decided to stay in the
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city. At times the characters were a little too religious for me, and at times they'd say things in Spanish and it wasn't clear what they had said. Overall it was alright, but not my favorite. Show Less
LibraryThing member MissReadsALot
I thought this book wasn't as good as Life as We Knew It, becase I thought everything was different in New York. I thought that New York would all be flooded and that no one would be as clueless as Alex in this situation. I also thought all the dead bodies and body-shopping added a greusome affect.
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I knew that Bri was dead in the elevator right when they said they had electricity and that she left to go to St. Margret's. Anyway, this book was okay. Show Less
LibraryThing member ambookgeek
I loved Life As We Knew It so I was waiting with great anticipation for The Dead and the Gone to be published. While certainly decent and a fairly entertaining read, some of the huge plot holes bugged me which made my reading of TDATG much less satisfying than the first book. I'd still recommend it
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to kids ... Show Less
LibraryThing member knielsen83
The only complaint I could have about this book is that I want to know what happens after it! This is the companion novel to Life as We Knew It - a story about a meteorite crashing into the moon and pushing it closer to the earth, which results in tsunamis, tidal waves, volcanoes erupting, and
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other such things. Unlike the first novel, this one takes place in Manhattan and involves a boy who is almost 18 and has to take care of his two little sisters while his parents are missing. Show Less
LibraryThing member pownage55
The Dead & the Gone is a compelling sequel to Life as we knew it. It's in the eyes of a boy named Alex who is left for dead when his parents never return home he must take care of both of his younger sisters. but soon enough Alex is having a shortage of food and goes "body-shopping" or taking
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valuable Items of the dead of the street, and bartering them off for food. Will Alex survive? Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
In this companion book to the fantastic Life As We Knew It, 17-year-old Alex must try and keep himself and his two younger sisters alive in the chaos that erupts in New York City after a meteor impact knocks the moon out of its orbit and closer to Earth. As tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanoes
This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.
If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up.
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turn the planet against human life, Alex becomes more and more desperate in his quest to survive in the absence of his parents.This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.
If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 59Square
Kearsten says: In this companion book to the fantastic _Life As We Knew It_, 17-year-old Alex must try and keep himself and his two younger sisters alive in the chaos that erupts in New York City after a meteor impact knocks the moon out of its orbit and closer to Earth. As tidal waves, earthquakes
This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.
If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up.
Show More
and volcanoes turn the planet against human life, Alex becomes more and more desperate in his quest to survive in the absence of his parents. This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.
If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mhg123
When the moon's orbit is knocked closer to the Earth by an asteroid, tidal waves, earthquakes, tsunamis and major climate change occurs. 17 year old Alex is responsible for his younger sisters in the absence of their parents. Their father was is Puerto Rico when the disaster occurred and their
One of the scariest books I ever read.
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mother was called into work at the hospital, both never return. Survival becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous.One of the scariest books I ever read.
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Awards
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Young Adult Book Award — 2011)
CCBC Choices (2009)
Pages
336
ISBN
0152063110 / 9780152063115
Lexile
680L