The Dead and the Gone

Susan Beth Pfeffers Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic eventan asteroidhitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as theyunfold 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 novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.