Z for Zachariah

A scary possible reality

In Z for Zachariah Ann Burden one of the main characters, gets left alone in the valley after her parents and dog disappeared to look for survivors from a nuclear war. She was left alone to take care of the cows and the chickens. A year has past since the incident and for all she knows she is the soul survivor. Faro the dog finally returned skinny and weak. Faro didn't die from radiation because he was up in the hills hiding. This all changes when John Loomis the other main character enters the valley. He then got radiation sickness for bathing in the wrong creek and fell ill. Ann Burden came to his rescue and helped him to recover. Ann Burden felt caring and not alone anymore after so long. Over the last couple of days Ann realizes how much she doesnt know anything about Loomis. Except that he had a conflict with Edward that Loomis talks about in his dream. When she finally tries to get Loomis to open up and get to know him. That all changes when when Loomis finally recovers and his true side comes out. She is then faced with harsh reality when Loomis tries to capture her and keep her held prisoner in her own home. I would recommend this book to people who like survival stories because during the whole book Ann Burden is faced with the lack of fresh food, Loomis trying to capture her, and taking care of the animals.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great read

I picked up this book and read it because my partner had to read it for school and initially, I wanted to help. The fact is, I picked it up and couldn't put it down, took only a couple of hours. For me it was an all too possible reality for the world in which we currently live. This wasn't just zombies or overrule by vampires or something akin to that, it's fallout after biological/nuclear war. I was intrigued by the main female character and the steps she took toward her own survival. Both pro- and antagonists were well developed and you could, potentially side with either although you have more sympathy with the girl.

Interesting read

If you are a fan of post apocalyptic fiction than this is a must read. I thought it was pretty realistic and I thought it to be very interesting. A bit scary to think about but nonetheless entertaining. Its a quick and easy read with a very easy story to follow.

Amazing!

You must read this! This book gives a really good detail of her life. I had to read this for my english class and I had a great time reading this.

Had to read it for an English assignment. It's a horrible book.

I hated it. I mean, It could just be because I'm not really into science-fiction, but there was about 1 good part, and it was in the end of the book. And then her name isn't even Zachariah, it's Ann. I just think it was horribly written.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

My teacher read this to the class in 1977. I read it to my son in 1997, my daughter in 2002 and to another daughter in 2007. It was inspiring and thought provoking. My children loved it and I have since passed the book onto their school library. It captures the attention and imagination. I would highly recommend this book.

Z for Zachariah by Robert C.O'Brien

One year after a nuclear war ends a girl named Ann Burden is living in a

cave that is on the hillside of a valley, where her hometown is. The

valley where she is living was somehow not affected by the radiation. She

thinks that she is the only one left on earth, until one day she sees a

man in a radiation suit come over the ridge into the valley. She watches

him for a while until he gets sick from radiation poisoning, and she

takes care of him, he tells her his name is John R. Loomis. Soon after he

is feeling better John begins to go crazy, and starts watching Ann

obsessively. One night he tries to rape her, so she runs away. Ann sneaks

back later to try and get food, and he shoots her in the ankle and she

ran for her life. Later on Ann returns and steals John's radiation suit

to escape the valley. John threatens to shoot her, and then Ann remembers

what John had told her about Edward while he was sick. So she reminds him

of his friend Edward that he had killed, which stops him from shooting

her. John tells her to go west where he had seen birds. She leaves hoping

to find more people.

In my opinion I think that this is a really good book. The reason I think

its good is because it makes you wonder as you read. Like is there

anybody alive outside the valley, what started the war, and does Ann ever

find other people. Another reason I like this book is it puts you on the

edge in some parts; an example is every time you find out that the smoke

columns get closer, and as Ann is running from John. This was a very

thrilling book that I think people should read.

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Sixteen-year-old Ann Burden has been living on her own for a year, since the nuclear bombs turned everything surrounding her little valley into a wasteland, and her parents drove out to find other survivors... and never came back. Knowing she may be the only person left, Ann struggles with her loneliness and tends to the farm as best she can. But then a man comes over the hills in a protective suit and arrives in the valley. At first he provides Ann with welcome companionship, but as he recovers from a bout of radiation sickness, his actions become more sinister.

Z FOR ZACHARIAH is an intense, heart-pounding read. From the moment Ann first sees smoke rising from beyond the valley, each development wrenches her further and further from the life she's adjusted to--seemingly for good, and then with terrible consequences. The pacing is perfect, and with the story being told through Ann's journal entries, every event feels immediate. The personal details and unflinching descriptions of life after a nuclear war make the story even more gripping. As the tension escalates, readers will find it incredibly hard to put the book down before they discover Ann's ultimate fate. While the story leaves this somewhat open-ended, Ann's ultimate victory will make them cheer.

Ann is a likable narrator, with a natural voice and a well-developed personality. It's easy to sympathize with her based on her situation alone, but she is all the more admirable for refusing to give up even in the most desperate circumstances. She deals with her problems with intelligence and courage, but still has those moments of carelessness and fear that make her human. Readers will be on her side from the beginning, even as they struggle to imagine how they would feel in her place. Though her final triumph involves some loss, it's clear Ann will persevere and find a way to survive and be happy, which makes the ending satisfying.

Z FOR ZACHARIAH is a story that will haunt readers long after they've put down the book. It shows both the good and the bad that can emerge from human nature in the face of catastrophe, and gives hope that even in the worst situations, there are those who will remain strong.

Great Book

This book was so good that I had to read it again for a second time. Books are usually boring and hard to get into for me, but this one was an adventure!

H for horrible

I had to read this book for a lit cirlce this year. This is one of the worst books I have ever read in my whole life! It was good in the beginning but turned bad quickly. There was a lot of useless details,it was boring,the plot was dry and weird and the story didn't make sense half the time. It sounds good but it's not. I do not recommend it for anyone.

surprise ending

Z for Zachariah started out a little slow, but eventually got moving to the point where you always wanted to keep reading. The diary format was very well written and always kept you guessing, as it was written just like someone was writing a day by day diary, never knowing what was going to happen next. The ending is very unexpected, but yet it was a little disappointing. Even with the disappointing ending, it was still a great book.

Good

I have to say it's not what I expected,but it was very good.their was only one part that I truly disliked and that was the ending were they leave you hanging

i recommend this book highly

This is a great book although it is slightly boring in the begining. Then it comes to be very exciting. It is also a book about what could happen in the near future the way wars are going.

Horrible

Ann may be the only person left on the planet after there was a Nuclear bomb from the war. Her family left to check things out and never came back. If this really happened to somebody they would be heartbroken and ready to die, so the author didn't do a good enough job describing any of the pain that Ann may have been feeling. Many of her journal entries didn't flow well together and many parts made no sense. This book was a huge disapointment becuase I was hoping we would be reading a good book. I would not recommend this book to anybody because that would mean having many disapointed people. It was weird and not worth anybody's time.

an amazing book that i recomend!!

this a a really great book and i recommend it 100% its about a girl and her family living during a war then her family goes off to find any survivers from the war but when they dont return Zachariah is alone no one else in the world is alive,so she thinks. she has been by herself for 3 months now every night for those months she has noticed a smoke getting closer and closer each time. then she realizes there is someone else out there and she is worryed should she take her risk and talk to him and he be some crazy man or should she keep to herself as he stays in her home as she lives in a cave behind the house. if this you are on the edge of your seat and want to find out more about this book then i suggest you read it

Z for Zachariah

Z for Zachariah is an amazing book!! It is always keeping you on your toes. There is only about 2 or 3 parts in the book that gets boring but its all worth it by the end! I recomend this book highly because this book is a mix of mystery, suspense, and education. This book teaches you about Nuclear bombs, radiation sicknes, the war and the gyger counters. Its all about these three main characters Ann Burden, Mr. Loomis, and her brothers dog ,Faro. You should read this book its very good!!

Z for Zachariah (I reccomend it for all ages)if you like stories with great details and topics you should read this book.

Z for Zachariah is a great story written by Robert C O¿Brien. The war just ended when her parents go to check for any signs of life. The nuclear bomb has destroyed everything as Zachariah learned when her parents never come back. A days pass and Zachariah discovers that she is not the only person left alive (to survive the aftermath of the bomb). She soon realizes that it is a man and that he is making progress to the valley where she lives. Zachariah helps Mr. Loomis survive the way that she survives Robert C O¿Brien¿s way of adding and taking characters from the story is astonishing (He makes some characters die and adds new ones in).He does a great job of giving every detail needed to easily understand the theme. O¿Brien does a great job at making average peoples lifestyles seem so story like. His words give you a vivid descriptive picture in your mind. The author O¿Brien uses vivid story information. He uses details that are not really accentual but show the background information very well. The way he puts his words together help me to picture his excerpt in my mind. This is a great story I recommend this story for all ages.

interesting book

Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O¿Brien is an excellent example of a science fiction young adult novel with believable characters. This is a story about a girl of reason who confronts a man of force in a post-nuclear war landscape. What proves interesting is the author¿s use of the first person which is a good choice considering that Ann is essentially alone in the world? The use of this narrative viewpoint allows the readers a first hand look at Ann¿s clarity of thinking as it slowly becomes clear to her that the stranger whom she had befriended is not a man with whom she can reason. This book would be suitable for intermediate class room activities and would appeal to both female and male audiences. However, this story gives an incredible account of bravery and courage from a main character that happens to be a young heroin, which is inspirational for young girls reading this book.

Best Book ever

I thought this book was awesome! It is the best book i've ever read. A theme for it could have been that age and gender has no impact on strength.

Z for Zachariah

This was a great book, This book had a setting of a small valley and the main character was Ann age 16. She had been living in this valley ALONE by herself for about one year now. She understood that the world had a nuclear war and had radiation outside of this valley. While she was living on her small farm and the abandoned general store, one day her peaceful lonely life was disturbed by a man, a scientist who survied with a safe suit she after sometime she revealed herself and trys to greet this man. In the beginning, the man was doing fine, but as time pass the man starts to get more and more power thirsty. Until one day, Ann couldnt take it anymore and runs away. Mr.Loomis as a powerthirsty man of course wont just her leave like that, so he starts to hunt her (not just normally track her down, he HUNTS her) down. And then finally she took her chance to steal the safe suit and she met him, they had some small conversation. And she walked of to find her new HOME~~~.... The story ends with a opened ending for us to think about more.