The Meek Shall Inherit

by Cynthia Siira, Julia White, Rebecca Chedester Dussault (Editor)

Everything they had is gone...neighbors, friends, the futures they had planned...all wiped out by K-Pox, the deadly pandemic that raged and consumed and sent the world into utter collapse. Now, in the face of impending starvation and chaos, the few survivors must learn to trust one another and survive in a world they no longer recognize. Ashleigh is left wondering how God could allow this suffering to happen, while Meg is certain there is no God at all. Can they rebuild their lives and what will they do when outsiders threaten to destroy it all?

371 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2020

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Meek Shall Inherit" is a post-pandemic / Brave New World novel. It is not the type of book I often read, but because I was made a gift of this copy and because I am related to one of the authors, I felt I needed to read it. And I'm very, very glad I did.

I had my doubts during the first few apocalyptic pages, but I held to my '50-page or done' rule and found myself sucked into the story of building a new society from the remains of the old and what these characters would do with the new time and challenges they have.

As the story progressed, I could feel myself wondering, "How's it going to end?" Without giving away anything, I can tell you it ends with a bang, and leaves you looking for additional pages and entries from Ashleigh and Meg.

Thankfully the teaser is on the page just before the bar code: "Coming December 2021...."

I'll save a spot on my nightstand for Book 2.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the Dork Diaries, The Stand, and Are You There God It's Me Margaret, were put in a blender with a deadly virus, this novel might be the result. Think of the 'realistic rebuilding of society' qualities of The Stand (without the paranormal or creepy elements), the 'young women coming of age' qualities of Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, and the easy-to-read lively diary format and likeable, relatable qualities of the Dork Diaries. That might give you a bit of a feel for what you can expect with this book.

The realistic elements, as other reviewers have mentioned, makes the book much more satisfying to read than most dystopian novels. Honestly, I'm sick of reading books like Hunger Games where society turns into horrible sub-human scum with no compassion or humanity left. I mean, really, is that what we think of ourselves? This book, I feel, is MUCH more realistic if something like a deadly virus were to break out and wipe out a large chunk of the human population. What would we really do? What kind of society would we want to put back together? What kind of people are we and how do we hold up under the worst kind of adversity?

That's really the meat of this story. How two young women in their late teens, deal with the destruction of the world they knew and how they handle the rebuilding of what's left of their community. The diary format and the fact that there are two narrators, makes it really interesting. The narration feels very fresh and lively, which makes it easy to read.

As the back of the book mentions, there is some element of religious pondering, but it is not over the top or preachy. In fact, both sides of the religious or non-religious point of view are brought up, but again, not in an obnoxious way. I'm really sensitive to this issue and I was not bothered by it at all. To be honest, to imagine that most of the world's population died and think that religion WOULDN'T come up, is not realistic. Of course there are going to be questions like, how could this happen? There is no agenda either way (either for or against religion), just normal people having normal thoughts about an inevitable topic resulting from living through this type of experience. But again, this is not an in-your-face part of the story, so even if you don't like religion in your books (as I do not), this is just another realistic part of the book.

I like that the two main characters feel like real teenagers and real people. Yes, they just experienced losing society as they knew it, but they are still human beings with the same feelings that human beings have always had. It is this natural reaction that makes the book feel more realistic and interesting. Ashley is more emotional and Meg is more rational, so it is interesting to see things from different perspectives. I found myself comparing myself to each one thinking, am I more Meg or more Ashley? (80% Meg, 5% Ashley, and 15% Tricia, one of the other characters, 'cause that girl's got style! LOL)

As a parent, I would say that it is appropriate for kids once they start thinking seriously about dating. Probably 14 or so, depending on the kid. If you have teenagers, and you like to read books and discuss them together, I think this would be a really good book for that. My kids are a little young yet, but we read together and once they get older, I will definitely be reading this one with them. There's a lot to talk about and could lead to some really good dialogues, especially for teens and parents because it can be tough to talk about certain things at that age and this book could serve as a good opener.

Or just read it because it is a good book! There's always that. :)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

First just let me say that this book is highly addicting and it's over before you know it even though it's over 300 pages. It's about a virus called kpox that kills off over 90% of the world's population. It's about the story of the survivors that are left. Most of the book consists of letter from a character named Meg writing to her mom who got separated from her family during the pandemic and a character named Ashleigh who is writing to her friend who died in the pandemic. It feels very realistic in terms of what would actually happen during such a scenario which is what makes it so addicting. It has the feel of non-fiction.

The ending is extremely surprising and totally unpredictable. It also leaves you chomping at the bit to know what happens next, but at the end of the book you find that there is a sequel coming at the end of 2021, so there is something to look forward to.

During a time in which we are dealing with a pandemic in our real lives, this book might hit a little close to home for some, but I think it will make some appreciate that things could be a whole lot worse as well. For me, it just adds a little perspective to what we are going through. I highly recommend this book.

[Lois Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read a book in this format before. It is told through the eyes of two young girls living through the K-Pox pandemic. I could relate to it since we our now living through a dangerous pandemic. It takes you through all that must be considered it you were to ever have to deal with a situation like this. The entire town is gone expect for 13 people. You learn what can happen when they all finally come together so they can survive. It will keep you involved and wondering, how will this end?

[Amelia Rakestraw · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Meek Shall inherit has me hooked. It took me a few chapters to get used to the letter writing style in this book but once I did I zipped through this book quickly. THE END had me screaming ( literally and figuratively) for more. It is a great book for both teens and adults. I have my fingers crossed for a second book.

[Rebecca E Mentzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little disconcerting at first to read about a pandemic during a pandemic. While this was written for youth, I found it interesting to see how the stories of the remnant community developed. And how it was completely told through letters written by two teen girls.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially enjoyed the letter format. You have the ability to describe situations using the feelings of the characters. The book was a good storyline and I look forward to where the sequel will lead us.

[Victoria Terrinoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I've told everyone I know about this book. The concept is great, the storytelling superb, and the ending -- WOW! I can't wait for the next one.

[HARRY P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never liked the "Mad Max" apocalyptic movies and books with all their violence and unbelievable characters "The Meek Shall Inherit" was, to me, a much more believable story of what a small group of real people would do if suddenly they were the only people still living. The letters of two late teen girls form the story of three families, plus a few others, who come together to form a community to survive. How they work together, build trust, and confront unknown threats tells a story of the strength of the human spirit. The book apparently is aimed for the young adult reader, but this 79-year-old man loved it.

[Sarah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bit tough to get through in 2020 when we didn’t know what was going to happen with COVID, but it’s a good read. I liked how the book jumps right into the situation; from the start you’re in the thick of the KPox pandemic and there aren’t many survivors. From there on you get glimpses back at how the characters lived before the pandemic and also some clues as to what happened. I felt like the book left me with several questions, but the last pages bring it all to a head and it definitely left me ready to hear more about these characters and their challenges.

It made you really think about what you would do in these situations and how you would react. You hope you’d be sensible, but I could definitely see teenagers acting like this in this kind of situation!