Flip the switch

Despite the amount I read, I don't really post about books much. Since I read so much -- and I rarely stop reading something I have started no matter how bad the book is -- I am discerning about the books I do post about or recommend.

The book I am reading now, I mention only because it has made me think. It is a look at the world should the moon be bumped into a new orbit by an asteroid. It puts forth some natural disasters -- tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, climate changes -- that create a new living environment.

This book is a nominee for an Iowa book award -- teenagers read them and vote for their favorite. It is called Life As We Knew It and is by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

The book is told from the perspective of a journaling 16-year-old. What really has stood out since the beginning of the story is how we all take for granted everyday conveniences.

• We can walk into the house and flip on a switch and we have light, the ability to wash our clothes and dishes, and store our food. (In the story, they have unreliable electricity. The mother keeps a load of laundry in the washer so they can attempt to wash it when/if the electricity comes on. The ate all their perishable food the first week. They get up at dawn and go to bed a little after sundown.)

• We can bop over to the grocery/convenience store for milk, a chocolate bar, or fresh produce. (In the story, they stocked up on canned goods the second day after the event and the stores have not been restocked in 3 months.)

• We can contact friends and family via telephone or internet. (In the story, cell phones don't work, landlines rarely work, and the internet only lists those family and friends who are missing or dead.)

Those are only a few of the things that struck me. I hope I am a little more thankful for the things I have. Especially when I walk in to the house tonight and flip the switch.