Literature & Fiction
![Robert C. O'Brien - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_robert_c_obrien.jpg)
Z for Zachariah
In this post-apocalyptic novel from Newbery Medal–winning author Robert C. O'Brien, a teen girl struggling to survive in the wake of unimaginable disaster comes across another survivor.
Ann Burden is sixteen years old and completely alone. The world as she once knew it is gone, ravaged by a nuclear war that has taken everyone from her. For the past year, she has lived in a remote valley with no evidence of any other survivors.
But the smoke from a distant campfire shatters Ann's solitude. Someone else is still alive and making his way toward the valley. Who is this man? What does he want? Can he be trusted? Both excited and terrified, Ann soon realizes there may be worse things than being the last person on Earth.
Ann Burden is sixteen years old and completely alone. The world as she once knew it is gone, ravaged by a nuclear war that has taken everyone from her. For the past year, she has lived in a remote valley with no evidence of any other survivors.
But the smoke from a distant campfire shatters Ann's solitude. Someone else is still alive and making his way toward the valley. Who is this man? What does he want? Can he be trusted? Both excited and terrified, Ann soon realizes there may be worse things than being the last person on Earth.
Readers Top Reviews
P. SchreiberCooki
The length is more extended short story/novella, but it does grab your attention early. The ending does seem somewhat 'forced', but then upon reading it is really an unfinished work, and was completed later, makes more sense. I thought Ann was a bit too thoughtful as compared to 16yr olds I know, but since it was written in the 70s maybe things on the farm were different to a large degree. I know this has been made into a movie, I'm sure it is a LOT different than this tale which has a simple storyline but is so well written it qualifies as a true 'page turner', although the setup only has few possible outcomes (and for full disclosure, I totally guessed wrong). A strong example of 'classic' YA storytelling.
Karen MonsenP. Sc
This is quite a page-turner apocalyptic YA tale. The last female on earth must learn the wily ways of the last man. I love that there is no horror or zombies, but it is tense and suspenseful. Just two people trying to survive, and learning to live with each other, or not.
BigFootJerkyKaren
One of my favorites chapter books out there! I first read it in 8th grade and decided to get it again for basic training! It’s written like journal entries and is a very compelling tale of a post apocalyptic world.
BrittanyBigFootJe
Post apocalyptic or survival stories happen to be a favorite of mine. When I heard that there was a movie called Z for Zachariah coming out in 2015 that was post apocalyptic and that it was based on a book, I had to pick this up. I basically finished reading this in two sittings, being unable to put the book down. It was an easy, quick read and I really enjoyed it. I do have a couple things to point out though: Towards the end of the book the character Loomis completely does a 180. Now, I understand that characters may change if they have been through something traumatic, or in this instance (spoiler) severe radiation poisoning, but it just didn't flow like I thought it should have, and I was a little taken off guard (focusing on the writing instead of the story). Come to find out, this book was never finished by O'Brien and instead had to be stitched together by his wife and daughter after his death. The flow may have seem disjointed because the author suddenly changed. This may also be why the ending seemed cut off - I was left with wanting more, but knowing that the author is no longer with us to complete a second book, I am mourning the loss of a story that was cut off too short.
