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Book Club: Something Strange and Deadly - Week 2


The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Something Strange and Deadly
By: Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 24th 2012



Magic and ghostly elements frequent the Something Strange and Deadly series. Even though corpses do awaken from time to time and hauntings are hardly that uncommon, the people of Philadelphia seem determined to pretend the Dead are not a growing threat.


Do you think that’s part of human nature? To push on and ignore the danger at our door? Or do you think Philadelphia’s ignorance—or for that matter, any ignorance/false sense of safety in modern days as well—can be pinned on politicians? Can you think of any examples where something similar happened, but rather than the Dead, it was a natural disaster/growing crime rate/etc.?

I think it depends on the situation. When someone is afraid of something, I think they do try to push on and ignore the danger because it is a coping method for them. Pushing on could also be a way of trying to keep living without being afraid all the time. It isn't fun being afraid all of the time, so if you have to pretend that something isn't a danger to get by, wouldn't you do it? As far a politicians go, I am sure that they provide plenty of false safety to the people. Growing crime rates, wars, and political decisions are all things that the government can lie to people about and provide a sense of false hope to people, but people can use that false hope sometimes too. I'm not sure if that answers everything, I feel like this is a difficult question to answer.



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