We had a day off from work and school for MLK Day, so I took advantage of the extra time and decided to finish one of the five (!) books I am reading at the same time. I was in the mood to escape a bit, so I dove back into S is for Space, a collection of short science fiction stories written by Ray Bradbury.
S is for Space was published in 1966 and has been out of print for awhile; I bought a copy from a used book store. I chuckled a bit when I saw the card pocket tucked in the back, the "Wexford Public School, Scarborough, Ontario"--a school that opened in 1951, and is still serving students in grades PreK through 8th.
I read some of Ray Bradbury's books in high school (most likely prompted by the release of the film version of his Something Wicked This Way Comes) and liked them, which is why I chose this book for a reading challenge I'm participating in. This one qualifies as "a book published the year you were born". Even in 1966, Bradbury was setting his sights on Y2K and beyond; the stories that mention dates are a mere forty years away, though some are set centuries beyond that. In Bradbury's tales, Martian air is breathable and the canals still hold water, but Martians themselves remain unseen...until Earthmen become the Martians. Children are impressionable enablers of alien invasions. Rockets fly regularly in the night sky. There is social commentary, too-- annihilating our planet through war is mentioned as background detail in several of the stories; control of society via the television screen; hatred bringing a dead man to life--all relevant themes in our Y2K-plus world, eerily prognosticated fifty-five years ago.
It's Monday, and I FINALLY finished one of my five books I am currently reading! What book will you focus on next?
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