Aftershock had me crying so much. The love Adam and his parents had for each other is the bond I wish to have with my kids. Devastated after their death he finds kindness, indifference, and anger on the road home. Silently he grieves for what he's lost and the memories of his past. ( )

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

Life can completely change in a moment. Seventeen-year-old Adam's life changes the moment his family's car hits a deer on a back road in Idaho. He and his bookstore-owning, pacifist parents have traveled from Rhode Island for a peace vigil, but only Adam will be heading home. His parents die instantly leaving Adam helpless on the side of the road.

In shock, Adam begins walking. His mind is spinning with past memories and present pain. His only constant, steady thought? To get home. This journey without any emotional and financial support would be challenging enough, but to complicate matters Adam finds he can't speak.

Adam's journey is filled with dangerous situations, a few truly kind and generous people, and others out to make his life miserable. Through his exhaustion and hunger he continues to focus on the life he had in Rhode Island. Dreams of the family's bookstore, his girlfriend Mira, and even his irritating Aunt Margarite and her son, Joey, keep Adam heading toward hope and home.

AFTERSHOCK is a tale of survival and the compelling human need to carry on even after heartbreaking tragedy. Adam's strength and courage will touch all who read his story. ( )

A page turner. Incredible story of a teenage boy who walks home after being hurt in a car crash, across the country! He deals with all sorts of people on the way and slowly comes to terms with the reality of his situation all while not being able to utter a word. Engrossing! ( )

This book begins with the untimely death of Adam's parents in a car crash on the way back to New England from a protest march in Seattle. As the name of the book implies, Adam is truly in shock, unable to utter a word after the accident. Lost without his hippy parents, and lacking the assistance of police or EMTs (the accident happened on a rural road), Adam wanders from the accident and into the lives of various people who offer him food, shelter or help. This was a fast read that made me cry at the end. ( )