The Dead and the Gone is a sequel to Life as We Knew It. The Dead and the Gone, though, is written about a completely different family. Alex, Julie, and Bri live on west 88th street in New York. When the asteroid crashes into the moon, their dad is in Puerto Rico for a funeral, and their mom is working at a hospital in queens. As far as we know, they never see their parents again. Their older brother, Carlos, is in the marines, stationed who knows where, so Alex is the man of the house now. He has to make critical decision to keep him and his sisters alive.