Susan Beth Pfeffer's <i>Life as We Knew It </i>enthralled and devastated listeners with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold 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.<br><br>With haunting themes of family faith personal change and courage this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.