Parents' Guide to

How I Live Now

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Powerful, violent tale about kids caught in a modern war.

Book Meg Rosoff Contemporary Fiction 2005
How I Live Now Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 13 parent reviews

Panaga
Panaga Adult
May 20, 2019
age 18+

Not a book for children

I don’t understand how a book clearly not for children was awarded so many prizes for work within this category. The themes in this book are adult however the author attempts to package it for youth by creating a protagonist so full of herself, unloved and ill that she throws herself into the arms of the first person that shows her any affection. An under aged, chain smoking, telepathic cousin. The narrative prattles on and on and on...

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
MarkAMDG
MarkAMDG Parent of 14 and 15-year-old
May 11, 2010
age 14+

Who Gives a Book Like This an Award? Ugh!

I think this book is entirely inappropriate for teens. There are no positive authority figures. (The father is described in derisive language and the aunt is distant and uninvolved in her many children's lives.) The anorexia is defended by the protagonist and it vanishes when she is forced to care for a young cousin in a war zone. The incest between a 14 and a 15 year old is portrayed as a positive relationship. The violence and gore is included with the intent of being "shocking" and cutting edge, but the overall descriptions of the war and the protagonist's response to it are completely unrealistic. The people who give these kind of books awards and push them towards librarians for teens do not have teens themselves, or if they do, they have lost all conscience and have no desire to maintain the power of childhood, but view it as a vacuum to fill with "REALITY", i.e. the worst this world contains, as soon as possible.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Daisy, angry and anorexic, is sent by her father and pregnant stepmother to England to stay with cousins she has never met on their farm. Almost immediately her aunt has to travel, leaving the kids alone, and then, as war breaks out all over the world, is unable to return. Daisy and her cousin Edmond, meanwhile, have fallen in love. For a while, as war, anarchy, and famine spread throughout the world, the children live a peaceful idyll in the country, unencumbered by adults. But soon enough the war comes even to their remote village, their house is taken over by the military, and they are separated. As conditions deteriorate, and Daisy tries to find Edmond, she draws on her "stubbornness and ignorance and an insatiable hunger for love" in order to survive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (15 ):

This book was awarded the Printz honor and earned numerous starred reviews, and it's easy to see why it is so popular with critics and readers. It combines so many powerful elements: The book at times takes on elements of magical realism in Daisy's near psychic connection with Edmond, and the scenes of her idyllic life in the English countryside, even after the war begins, contrast sharply with the vivid realism she is forced to deal with as she faces the horrors of starvation, exhaustion, and murder.

This is a book that teens will quickly devour -- and then spend a long time thinking about. There's much to consider, from what they would do in Daisy's place to the portrayal of modern war to what they think will happen to the survivors in the post-war world. Some readers may find the jump to six years later a bit jarring -- and others will no doubt be troubled by the sexual relationship between Daisy and her cousin -- but most teens will find this a powerful, moving tale about kids caught in a war beyond their control -- and the ways it scars them, and bonds them forever.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about some of the book's more mature material, including the vivid descriptions of the war's devastating violence. Were you surprised by any of this content or did it seem necessary to tell Daisy's story? Is reading about violence different than seeing it in a movie or on TV?

  • This book offers a pretty bleak look at our future world. How does it compare to other dystopian novels, such as The Hunger Games or Little Brother? What can we learn by looking at these possible futures?

Book Details

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