Okay, I read this. I know I did. It might have been a skim job but I read it. The author was at Anderson's YA Lit conference and I asked the author a question because this book is very different from her other books.
All chit chat aside it was a good story, not great and I liked that it focused on family and what happens after first love. ( )

I loved this one -- it is truly a walk in someone else's shoes. Dani lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her father runs a successful store, she goes to school, and has her first boyfriend. Her world starts to fall apart when a terrorist bombing kills her pregnant aunt... the country's political crisis leads to economic problems, and her father loses the store. As their family sinks into poverty like so many people they know, the violence of their surroundings increases, and the decision is made to immigrate to the United States. Everything is different in Twin Lakes, New York -- except that the family still has very little money, and Papa is even more depressed and sad. Dani has to adjust to a new school, new culture, and new expectations... and nothing seems familiar or steady to her. The one girl who is hardest on her at first is Jessica, the popular queen bee. That changes when Dani stands up to Trevor, who is bullying Jon, one of her few friends (she smacks Trevor and nearly gets suspended). Jon has Aspberger's syndrome, a form of autism, and he is also Jessica's brother. Jessica sees Dani differently after that very realistically written scene, and they discover there is more alike in their lives than either realized. This is about love, family, respect, friendship and starting over -- perfect for middle school, where our students move from their comfortable elementary schools to a bigger, more complicated place. 7th grade and up. ( )

Daniella Bensimon's comfortable world in Argentina is slipping away after the country spirals into an economic meltdown. Faced with increasing economic distress and personal loss, the family makes the difficult decision to emigrate and struggles to adjust to their new life in Connecticut. Daniella befriends a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, faces a bully, and sees that those who lost friends and relatives on September 11th can empathize with the loss of her aunt in the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish center. (Grades 7-10) ( )

Dani’s life will never be the same. She lives in Argentina where life for Jewish families is beginning to deteriorate. She has lost her Aunt and unborn cousin in a terrorist attack. Her father has lost his business and there isn’t enough money to put food on the table for her family. But Dani just wants life to return to normal. But what is normal? After much thought the family decides to immigrate to New York for a “fresh start”. But a new start in a new city with a new language and no jobs isn’t that easy. Dani’s family moves into a tiny rented apartment provided by the Jewish Family Services with hand-me-down clothes. Dani’s father is clinically depressed and her mother is now the major breadwinner for the family. Dani finds that living in America isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. She misses her old friends, her home, her private school and especially her novio, boyfriend. But suddenly life changes when Dani makes a new friend Jon, who isn’t like the other kids. Soon in this new life she learns about healing and forgiveness and about moving on to the life after….
This is a great story about life changes and coping with a loss. This story, written by Sarah Littman, the author of the 2006 Sydney Taylor Teen Book Award, Confessions of a Closet Catholic, is another authentic story about teens with real feelings. In real situations. A recommended read for grades 6-9th.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

LIFE, AFTER by Sarah Darer Littman truly echoes the world today. Dani is a survivor in more ways than one. She has known the loss of losing a loved one in a terrorist attack. She has experienced the economic collapse of her country and felt its effect on her own family. She knows what it's like to be a stranger in a new place. It seems that each of us today has personal knowledge of at least one of these life-changing events.

Dani was born and raised in Argentina. Her life began to change in 1994 when her aunt and unborn cousin were killed in a terrorist attack on a Jewish organization in Buenos Aires. Since then the economy of Argentina has hit an all-time low. Now, her father's clothing store has folded (no pun intended) leaving him depressed and unable to work. Dani tries to take care of the cooking, cleaning, and looking after her little sister, while her mother works to keep food on the table. Life is full of stress.

As many of Dani's friends leave the country in search of more opportunity, she begins to wonder if they might move, as well. Her mother pleads daily with Dani's father to accept an offer of help from a relative living in New York. After another frightening display of political unrest, he is finally convinced, and the family heads to America.

The move may offer more security for her family, but for Dani, the tiny, cramped apartment, a strange new language, and the huge high school she is forced to attend are almost more than she can handle. Making friends is not as easy as she had hoped, so school fills her with anxiety; plus, when she returns home each day, she has to face an increasingly depressed and angry father. Wanting to make life easier for her hard-working mother is the only thing that keeps Dani from exploding with frustration.

Finally, an unpleasant encounter with a school bully allows Dani to discover that there are others who suffer silently. Dani's view of her own circumstances changes when she learns that a fellow classmate lost her father in the 9/11 tragedy. Together, they discover when one has enough love and support; life can once again be filled with joy.

Author Sarah Darer Littman tells Dani's story in an honest, straight-forward voice. I felt emotionally connected to the family as they struggled to make their way through tough times. Littman is able to communicate the love and concern Dani has for her mother and younger sister, as well as the uncomfortable love/hate relationship she has with her suffering father.

As I turned the pages, I found myself wanting to offer advice and encouragement as Dani searched for ways to understand all the changes surrounding her. Teens will definitely be able to relate to both the story and the characters of LIFE, AFTER. ( )