Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Typically I dislike dystopian post-apocalyptic novels, but this was an excellent short read which I couldn't put down--a suspenseful, intriguing, thought-provoking story of survival. A best seller written almost 40 years ago, it is still a time relevant story of Ann, a girl who survived worldwide nuclear war and appears to be the only survivor. Her day-to-day practical aspects of survival are fascinating. She is an intelligent and sympathetic character, and through her the reader really feels the isolation, loneliness and danger of her situation. The tension keeps building throughout, thanks to the intrusion of the incredibly creepy and sinister stranger Loomis. I have a few friends who read this as teens and enjoyed it so much that they reread it recently as adults and recommended it to me. I'm glad they did. I learned things one would need to know in order to survive on their own. Appropriate literature for age 11 and above.











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