The Measure

The Measure 

Nikki Erlick 
Published June 28, 2022

My rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

I read this book to complete the prompt in my Boise Public library Ultimate Book Nerd challenge: Read a book on a book list (NYT Best sellers ect). 

"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster for readers of The Midnight Library.

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

I thought this book was simply amazing. Listened to this as an audiobook and the way the characters are laid out is just perfect, seeing them come together, each separate person in this huge city, somehow weaving together into one beautiful story. Plus the concept is just something that makes you think about all the social issues that go on any day. What would you do if the length of your life could be known to you. Do you open your box? Just a crazy concept and I loved it!