Bibliographic Information
how i live now by Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books 2006, c 2004
ISBN: 9780553376050
Dewey: Fic
Interest Level: YA Readubg Kevek: 6.9
Subjexts: war, cousins, family, farm life, eating disorders
Plot Summary
When 15 year old Elizabeth (Daisy) and her pregnant stepmother do not get along Daisy is sent to England to live with some cousins she has never met. Daisy bonds with her cousins but they become separated when a war waged by terrorists breaks out. Daisy struggles to survive and eventually is able to be reunited with her cousins.
Critical Analysis
This is a realistic fiction for YA readers. This text lives up to the requirements of the genre. It deals with the topics of love between cousins and war in a very frank and open manner. The text is written in the first-person, it is the voice of Daisy. She tells her story with war as the backdrop and discusses how it affects her and her cousins. .Her words ring true for that of a young person facing some very difficult challenges. Her own word on page 1 chapter one give us a clue that Edmond is the catalyst for many of the choices that Daisy will make on her journey to adulthood. On page 1 she says," Mostly everything changes because of Edmond. and so here's what happened." When she tells us of her love for Edmond one can easily visualize a young girl saying her words. "It would easier to tell this story it it were all about a chaste and perfect love between Two Children against the World at an Extreme Time in History but let;s face it that would be a load of crap.' (p.46).
We see in the story an accurate representation of how young people might cope with these extreme circumstance with little adult input. The themes of friendship and family are embedded in the story itself. The more difficult themes of love between cousins and war are dealt with an equally adept mannerand. It is, however, not the text I am used to or in general comfortable with. It is not, Little Women. Regardless of this I found myself drawn into the text and felt profound emotion as I related to the main characters.
This novel fits the, "edgy serious," catagory of this genre and is getting close to being a novel for younf adults. In fact most adults would enjoy reading this text as well.
The setting is apparently modern and the story is realistic. We are never told specifically the time but we do know it takes place after the world wars at a time whern the internet exists.
The main characters are the four cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaas, Piper and Daisy. The adults, Aunt Penn, Dad , and tjhe stepmother are important to the plot even though minimual time is given to discussing them in the text.
The reader is hooked with the first page and this engagement continues as we read to find out how Edmond and Daisy interact. Much of the story is serious but there are some light moments that give the reader a chance to chuckle or smile inwardly at the characters. Daisy's observation about her cousin Isaac and the fact that he talks very little and yet appears to listen to everything is so very typicall of how a young person would look at how adults react to perveived problems in their children, She says that if Isaac lived in the states he would be," dangled over a tank full of Educational consultants and remedial experts all snapping at his ankles for the next twenty years arguing about hisSpecial Needs..."
The ending all but tales your breath away. When Daisy and Edmond are finally reunitedit is bittersweet. Edmond now lives inside himself and Daisy struggles to bring him out. Edmond lives inside himself Daisy realizex because he saw a massacre of people of the village where he lives. It is not a happy ending, nor was it predictable but it is powerful and reaches a satisfying conclusion. Daisy ends her narrative by saying," After a;; this time, I know exactly where I bleong. Here. With Edmond, and that's how I live now."
Meg Rosoff does have a website as do many YA writers it is not interactive. She does list how to contact her publicity people and publisher, there is a letter from her as well as a list of events she will be attending.
http://www.megrisoff.co.uk
Reviews/Excerpts
Publisher's Weekly (May 8, 2006) 'This riveting first noevel paints a frighteningly realistic picture of a world war breaking out in the 21 century ."
Kirkus Revies. "This is a very reliable, contemporary story told in honest, raw first=person and filled with horror, love, pathos, and change. War as it will, changes the young people irrevocably."
Booklist starred review: "it is an ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like."
The Horn Book." a winning community.... and sober vision... lyrical and compassionate, that is literally and emotionally deeply satisfying"
The Sunday Te;egraph, U.K. :Readers won't just read this book, they will let it possess them."
Awards
Guardian Children' Fiction Prize
Branford Boase Book Award
Das Lucks des Jakes Book Prize (Germany)
Julia Ward Howe Prize
Michael L. Printz Award
Publisher's Weekly Best Book
ALA Best Books
Publisher's Weekly Flying Start Author
Booklist Editor;s Choice
Kirkus Review Editor;s Choice
Shortlisted for the following awards
Los Angeles Times Book PrizeBooklist Teenage PrizeWhibead Children;s Book Award
Orange first Novel Prize
Connections
There are several simple writing assignments that students could do after reading this text that would be different from a typical bookreport. The first would be to write a short dexcription of the life Daisy led before England and the one she led in England. Fo extra credit they could add a description of what her life was like upon her return to New York.
Another way for students to connect would be for them to trace Daisy's acts of courage from her arrival in London to the clomax of the text. They could them share these thoughts either in a class discussion or on a class blog.
There are, of course, many topic for class discussions that could be done in small groups so all students would have a chance to participate. Some of the topics are lighter then others so the teacher will have to use some judgement depending on the group they are working with in order to make the discussions meaningful. This could be done in social studies class or in literature class in order to be successful. This text can be paired with a nonfiction text or section of textbook to show how events in history can effect the young and their outtlook on life.
Any number of research topics could be generated from the text and will depend on the class focus.these could even involve issues of legality regarding the cousins and their feelings for others. Should this be a legal issue and if so for the national government, for states or local entities?
Other Books by the Same Author
Meet Wild Boars, Just in Case, What I Was, The Brides Farewell. Wild Boars Cook, and Jumoy Jack and Googly
Websites of Interest
www.warchild.org.uk- discussion of international programs that aid war affected children.
www@edi.org/issues/woeld_at_war/wwar00.html- site for center of defense information regarding global conflicts
www.esnational.org- lessons plans on defining and understanding war
http://www.youtube.com- Teen board video winner entitled-how i live now.
http.//www.break.com-- this sight has a video interview with the author
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