A Series of Unlikely Events

“Life is a series of unlikely events, isn’t it? Hers certainly is. One unlikely event after another, adding up to a rich, complicated whole. And who knows what’s still to come?”

Judy Blume’s latest book, In the Unlikely Event, is the story of a young girl, Miri. Like Blume herself, Miri is in junior high in the early 1950s when three planes inexplicably crash into the town of Elizabeth, New Jersey within two short months. Miri witnesses the horror of the wreckage and burning bodies. The fallout from those disasters make for a compelling read as Miri, her family, her neighbors and her young friends at school all cope in different ways. One can’t help but be reminded of 9/11, a similar tragedy of our generation.

Not everyone gets a happy ending, but life does go on, and Blume reminds us to face it with hope and courage. She writes, “…unlikely events aren’t all bad. There are good ones, too.”