What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHow I Live Now
Kevin Macdonald · Film · 2013
If you loved How I Live Now, start with How I Live Now (Meg Rosoff, 2004) — a book from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to How I Live Now across media.
What hooked you in How I Live Now was the way the overwhelming chaos of global war transforms into an intimate, desperate struggle for survival.
Start with the source
Books on the same thread
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins · Book · 2008
Explores: authoritarianism, class inequality, spectacle of violence.
Much like How I Live Now, this story centers on a young woman forced to navigate a violent, dystopian landscape where her survival depends on both resourcefulness and raw instinct.
The Rage: A Game of Survival
Natica Brown · Book · 2017
Shares 2 threads with How I Live Now: Survival, Loss of Innocence.
If the sudden descent into a fight for life in How I Live Now captivated you, this narrative offers a similarly gripping transition from normalcy to a brutal, survival-focused reality.
The Road
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2007
Explores: Parent-child bond, Moral ambiguity, Existential dread.
This novel echoes the bleak, atmospheric isolation found in How I Live Now, emphasizing the profound, quiet resilience required to persist when civilization has collapsed around the main characters.
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins · Book · 2010
Shares a thread with How I Live Now: Survival.
Fans of the wartime stakes in How I Live Now will appreciate how this conclusion captures the heavy, personal toll that widespread conflict exacts on those caught in the crossfire.
Series on the same thread
The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
Shares 2 threads with How I Live Now: Survival, Found Family.
The bond formed during a harrowing journey in How I Live Now is mirrored here, as two characters find a fragile, necessary connection while navigating a desolate, post-apocalyptic world.
Generation War
Philipp Kadelbach · Series · 2013
Shares a thread with How I Live Now: Loss of Innocence.
This drama captures the same loss of innocence present in How I Live Now, illustrating how the crushing weight of global conflict fundamentally alters the lives of young friends.
All the Light We Cannot See
Steven Knight · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with How I Live Now: Survival.
This story shares the wartime setting of How I Live Now, focusing on how individuals maintain their humanity and forge unexpected paths despite the surrounding devastation of world conflict.
My Life with the Walter Boys
Melanie Halsall · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with How I Live Now: found family.
If the emotional core of finding family in How I Live Now resonated with you, this story offers a similar focus on healing and belonging within a new household.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
Those drawn to the rural British setting of How I Live Now will enjoy this deep dive into the rhythms, community dynamics, and relationships found within a provincial landscape.
If You're Listening
Podcast
Explores: Global Politics, Economic Issues, Artificial Intelligence Impact.
The anxiety of a world descending into chaos explored in How I Live Now finds a modern, real-world parallel in this analysis of current global instability and political tension.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is How I Live Now based on a book?
Yes, the 2013 film How I Live Now is an adaptation of the 2004 novel of the same name. Both works follow an American girl sent to the English countryside who discovers love and purpose while struggling to survive as war breaks out around her.
Should I read the book How I Live Now before watching the movie?
You can experience the story of How I Live Now in either order. The 2013 film and the 2004 book both cover the same narrative of a girl navigating a war-torn English countryside. Choosing one does not strictly require the other to understand the core plot.
What is the premise of How I Live Now?
How I Live Now follows an American girl sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Her life changes when a global war begins, forcing her to find love and purpose while fighting for her survival amidst the encroaching conflict.
Is How I Live Now a war movie?
Yes, How I Live Now is categorized by the survival of its protagonist as war envelops the world around her. The story focuses on the personal experience of an American girl in the English countryside as she navigates the challenges of a society impacted by conflict.