The Dead and the Gone

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Jan 2010 · Life As We Knew It Series Book 2 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Best-selling author, Susan Beth Pfeffer, delivers a riveting companion to Life As We Knew It in this enthralling tale that follows seventeen-year-old Alex Morales as he fights to survive in the aftermath of apocalyptic events in New York City.

Alex Morales is an average high schooler focused on his after-school job, helping his dad out with building superintendent responsibilities, and getting good grades so he can make it into an Ivy League college. But when the moon alters its gravitational pull and catastrophic events ensue, everything changes. Now, he has to care for his younger sisters, decide whether it’s ethical to rob the dead, and keep the hope alive that their lost parents will return. Bone-chilling and harrowing, Susan Beth Pfeffer investigates what it takes to survive when the odds are stacked against you in this captivating story about sacrifice and humanity.

Ratings and reviews

A fun, yet terrifying and depressing book. Probably the most terrifying I've seen. It was sad to know what happened at the end, but hopefully things get better for Alex and anyone else suffering in New York.

Alex got off work one night just like he usually did and all of a sudden he has to become a man and his forced to care for his two younger sisters after a dramatic accident that took both his parents. There is a riot that Alex must keep his sisters safe from and he comes to realize how much responsibility he has to assume now and finds himself applying for college, something he never thought he'd do.

Alex Morales is a bright boy, but he blames himself too much. He blames himself for things happenening to his sisters, Briana and Julie. The Morales are true Christians that believe anything is possible. After all of the deaths Alex has faced, he kept his head held high and did anything to take care of him and his sisters while his parents remain missing. This book is the matter of life or death, it remains like that for a while. Alex tries his best to keep him and his sisters alive because of all of all of these disasters that are happening. This story is well-written and it has taught me the importances in life.

About the author

Susan Beth Pfeffer is the author of many books for teens, including the New York Times best-selling novel Life As We Knew It, which was nominated for several state awards, and its companion books, The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon. She lives in Middletown, New York.