How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
How I Live Now is
a story about 15 year-old Elizabeth’s struggle to survive during a fictional
World War III outbreak sometime in the beginning of the 21st
century. After constant conflicts with her new step-mother, Elizabeth (who goes
by Daisy) is sent away from her Manhattan home to live with her maternal aunt
in England. She finds that she instantly bonds with her cousins, and together
they fight to survive while her aunt is stranded in Oslo after an attack.
Meanwhile, Daisy finds herself entangled in forbidden love, and a new desire to
protect her new family from any harm.
Her protective instinct is put to use when the boys (Osbert, Edmond and
Isaac) and girls (Daisy and Piper) are separated, leaving Daisy solely
responsible for protecting her youngest cousin. Will Daisy and Piper make it
home safely? Will Daisy reunite with her love? Read Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now to find out!
This book deals with a number of important issues with which
young adults face. The story starts with the main character’s departure from
her home because of problems with her ‘evil’ step-mother and her future
half-sibling. By moving to England, Daisy is also losing her best friend who
stays in Manhattan. It is also implied that Daisy struggles with anorexia
through most of the book – how will forced food rationing for survival impact
her views on self-restriction? Finally, the book encourages the reader to
consider how they would survive if they lived during a World War. Would you
join the army like Osbert? Would you try to help the local farmers to provide
food for the community? Or would you run to try to hide from the enemy until
the war is over?
Meg Rosoff was born in Boston and worked in publishing and
advertising before writing How I Live Now.
She moved from New York to London, England in 1989 and continues to write books
for children and young adults. Her other young adult novels include Just in Case (2006), What I Was (2007), The Bride’s Farewell (2009) and There
is no Dog (2011).
How I Live Now won
many awards including The Guardian Award
(2004); Whitbread Children's Book of the
Year (2004); Michael L. Printz Award
(2005); Branford Boase Award (2004).
It was also nominated for the Carnegie
Metal (2004) and the Booktrust
Teenage Prize (2005).
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