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Description edit see section history

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . . The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his... read more

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Claire: One of the three narrators of Love is the Higher Law. Claire is a very kind person who sees the best in everyone. She is best friends with Peter and Jasper.
  • Peter: One of the three narrators of Love is the Higher Law. He is a music fanatic, and goes to two concerts over the course of the book. He was supposed to have a date with Jasper on 9/11.
  • Sammy: Sammy is Claire's little brother.
  • Amanda: Amanda goes to donate blood with Jasper even though they barely know each other.
  • Mitchell: Mitchell is a mutual friend for all three of the narrators, and his party is where Jasper and Peter meet.
  • John: John is Peter's best friend, who is extremely supportive of his being gay. He is very into music.
  • Jasper: One of the three narrators of Love is the Higher Law. Jasper is a college student who was supposed to go out on a date with Peter on 9/11.
  • Mrs. Lawson: Mrs. Lawson is Sammy's teacher.
  • Marisol: Marisol is a classmate of Claire's who goes with her when she goes to pick up her brother from his class.
  • Jill Breslin: Jill Breslin is a character that is mentioned, but never met. Her dad died during the collapse of the towers.
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"I see things shifting from United We Stand to god Bless America. I don't believe in God Bless America. I don't believe a higher power is standing beside us and guiding us. I don't believe we're being singled out. I believe much more in United We Stand..."”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • But I guess the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead.
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
  • Life goes on is a redundancy. Life is defined by its going on.”
    Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers
  • What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.
    Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers
  • The hitch is that you can’t find a common humanity just because you have a common enemy. You have to find a common humanity because you believe that it’s true.
    Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers
  • Because, ultimately, isn’t your belief in human nature a perfect reflection of your own nature?
    Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers
  • I had no idea what I wanted, only that I wanted something, which is the worst kind of wanting.
    Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers
  • This, I think, is how people survive: Even when horrible things have been done to us, we can still find gratitude in one another.
    Highlighted by 6 Kindle customers
  • This is what a memorial is: Standing still, staring at something that isn’t there.
    Highlighted by 6 Kindle customers
  • “I guess it’s a choice we make,” she said. “What’s a choice?” I asked. And she said, “How much of the world we let in.”
    Highlighted by 6 Kindle customers
  • “I think the point is to realize you’re not alone.”
    Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers
Show all 11 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

My first thought is: My mother is dead.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. David Levithan (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Knopf
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 25, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-375-83468-4
Page Count: 163

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