How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
[Randy] remembered words which for four months he had not heard, read, or uttered, the most beautiful words in the language—faith and hope. (8.104)
Although Randy was never religious before The Day, he's deeply moved when he sees a flyer in Marines Park announcing an Easter Sunday service. Has our hero suddenly become a diehard believer? Maybe. More likely, however, the service makes him feel connected with the other survivors of Fort Repose, and even hopeful about their mutual future.
Quote #5
"Who can tell how much cesium 137 showered down on The Day? [...] The geneticists warned us of damage to future generation." (9.47)
All our heroes' struggles will be for naught if surging atmospheric radiation puts the human race down for the count before it even gets back on its feet. The worst part is that radiation is a silent killer. They might not know they've screwed the pooch until it's too late.
Quote #6
Randy said, "Did you ever hear a little girl say 'If I grow up' before?"
"No, I never did. It gives me the creeps." (9.96-97)
It sure gave us the creeps reading it, if that counts for anything. Oddly, neither Peyton nor Ben Franklin—the two characters whose futures are most hindered by the nuclear apocalypse—seem all that bummed. In fact, they take it more in stride than the adults.