REVIEW: This World We Live In

This World We Live In
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer

In this 3rd book in the Last Survivors series, the two groups of survivors depicted in books 1 and 2 come together. Humanity faces possible extinction as natural disasters and climate changes hit Earth following an asteroid strike pushing the moon closer to the planet. It's been a year since the disaster. Very few people remain alive. This group of 10 survivors faces not only the daily fight for survival, but also their own emotions, weaknesses and fears. They must learn to live and work together to survive.

Although it is a bit preachy in places (in my opinion), this book is just as enjoyable as the first two in the series. Although the disaster premise is not scientifically valid, I find the concept of survival after a large scale planet wide disaster to be both thought provoking and horrific. I don't know how I would react to a complete, sudden change in life as I have always known it. I don't know if I would be strong enough, mentally or physically, to survive as nearly everyone around me dies of starvation, illness or injury. What would I be prepared to do to protect my children? I  liked how Pfeffer brought her characters together to form a sort of rag-tag family. The story unfolds in diary format, with the character Miranda writing about their daily challenges. There is a lot of emotion in this book, as the characters all try to live together, survive and deal with uncertainty and danger.

This series is written for a YA audience. Because of the serious, dark theme I wouldn't recommend it for kids under 13. There is no graphic violence, sex or cursing....but Pfeffer doesn't pull any punches with the dystopian theme. Death, starvation, suicide and other dark themes figure heavily into the plot. Pfeffer realistically depicts what it might be like to survive after society ends.

For more information on the author and her books, check out her blog: http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/