LS 5603 How I Live Now

Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004.

ISBN: 0-385-90908-X

American Elizabeth-please-call-her-Daisy is sent to England to live with her cousins because her family is “worried” for her. Told from Daisy’s perspective, the reader know that she feels she is sent away because her father re-married and they are expecting a new baby. Daisy also mentions she has issues with the way her step-mother makes the food for the family. When Daisy lands at the airport, she is met by her fourteen year old cousin who smokes and has driven himself to the airport to pick her up because his Mum is too busy with work to pick her up. When they reach the farm, Daisy is introduced to Aunt Penn, Edmund’s older brother, Osbert, his younger sister, Piper, and his twin brother, Isaac, as well as a myriad assortment of animals that live on the farm. When unrest in the rest of the world results in England being invaded by an un-named country, Daisy and her cousins make do in a world without their Mum/Aunt because she was in Oslo for business. While England is occupied, Edmund and Daisy grow closer until their family is ripped apart when their farm is sequestered for the Army’s use. After months of separation, the boys in one place and the girls in another, Daisy and Piper make a break for it and travel over land to be reunited with the boys, an unsuccessful venture that leads to Daisy’s return to the United States.

How I Live Now is a realistic look at life during wartime occupation. It was not my favorite book to read and I found myself putting it down for days on end when I get to a part that I did not like, such as the kids abandoning most of their animals when the farm was sequestered. There is also the relationship between Daisy and Edmund. Their sexual relationship, while not explicit, just made me not like the characters. Daisy has too many problems and Edmund goes through life with a laissez-faire attitude. I felt the author really didn’t need to add this to the story (maybe she wanted the shock value?) and by adding it to the story didn’t really improve it any, except give Daisy someone to pine over when they are separated. Daisy’s actions throughout the book show she is a strong person—though she may think she is not—and the relationship seems forced. Parents may want to give this one a read through before letting their mature teen read it.

The September 2004 issue of Booklist says “central to the potency of Rosoff's debut, though, is the ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations.” Teens who enjoyed this book may want to check out the Tomorrow Series by John Marsden, titles which include: Tomorrow, When the War Began and The Dead of the Night or the sequel series to this series, The Ellie Chronicles.