the dead & the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer is a companion piece to Life As We Knew It. The premise of both is that an asteroid has thrown the moon into an orbit closer to the Earth.

In the dead & the gone, the main focus is on a devoutly Catholic Puerto Rican Family in New York City. Seventeen year old Alex takes on the responsibility of two siblings.

I thought it was very well played out – The characters run through a gamut of honest emotions trying to deal with the life changing world events. I liked how the characters struggled with rules and order to keep living. Father Mulrooney’s words of, “As the world collapses around us, it is learning and culture that will prevent us from becoming barbarians.” At another point in the story Father Mulrooney points out, “These are the worst of times…rules are needed even more now. Without them there is anarchy.” Great stuff, and another perspective about life after the asteroid hits.