I have just returned from the book store where I witnessed a heartbreaking episode.

I was holding several Bradbury collections, and comparing which stories each contained, when a little girl, all of 10 years old, skipped past me.

Staring up at the signs which labeled the different sections of the store, she called out in a quizzical voice "Mom.... What is 'science fiction'?"

Curious to hear her how her mother would describe it to her, I listened carefully.

"I don't know" was the answer, her mother was obviously distracted and not interested in responding.

I wanted to start grabbing books off the shelf to pile in the girl's arms. Bradbury! Asimov! This is science fiction!

But of course, not wanting to interfere with a mother and her daughter, I did not.

I can't help but wonder if in that moment the little girl was robbed forever of discovering many fascinating stories with which to enrich herself.

Yeah...but...Ray never refers to his work as SF (science-fiction).

He'll direct you to a science -fiction movie that is his favorite: Singing In The Rain.

"What is science fiction?
I don't know . . . "

What kind of parenting is that? "I don't know?!?!?" How about, "I'm not sure, but let's check out these shelves"

When Bradbury doesn't refer to his work as SciFi, that's certainly his perogative, and I think I would agree that a lot of his writing is not. But I have a hard time classifying something like Kaleidoscope, A Sound of Thunder or Rocket Man as not being within the genre of SciFi.

I will always be grateful for the genre of Science Fiction. It was the vehicle through which I was introduced to the world of ideas. Through reading "speculative fiction" I became interested in psychology, sociology, philosophy, religion, etc. It also opened up the world of literature to me.

When you say that she might have been robbed forever of missing some fascinating stories, the risk is there; but let's hope her discovery has been deferred rather than lost forever.

On a twist on the Peter and Gordon song (I realize I'm dating myself here), "I don't care what they say, I won't stay in a world without Science Fiction!"

Ursula K. Le Guin, in her introduction to "The Norton Book of Science Fiction", says this:

"Our finest in-house critic, S. R. Delany, has defined the area of science fiction as "subjunctive reality." Reporting and history, in Delany's schema, deal with what happened; realistic fiction with what could have happened; fantastic fiction, with what could not have happened. And science fiction deals with what has not happened.
He refines this useful distinction further to apply to three major types of science-fiction stories: the extrapolative, the cautionary, and the alternate-world. The predictive or extrapolative story deals with what has not happened but might happen. The cautionary tale deals with what hasn't happened -- yet. And the tale of parallel or alternate world deals with what might have happened, but didn't."

I'm with you. I wish that mother had come up with something that would encourage her daughter's curiosity.

Let's hope someone else will, or that this mother will in another time and setting. My intro came from a friend in 9th grade who talked me into reading Farenheit 451 (which, Bradbury notwithstanding, I classify as science fiction). That book led to his other books, which led to other sci-fi writers, which led on to philosophy, theology and literature.

Again, let's hope her awakening is deferred, not forever lost.

Yes, I realize the bulk of Mr. Bradbury's work isn't technically science fiction.

And I agree, Mr. Dark, that she will most likely read some science fiction in the future. I guess I was just a little let down at the mother's response. It was really an amazing moment hearing the genuine innocence of the question.

I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't a loss. I actually had a kind of emotional moment there when I read your original posting. I actually felt it as a loss, too. I have four kids, taught jr high in East LA, and teach part time at a community college. There really are "moments of opportunity," and I agree with you that when one of these moments is ignored, it is a genuine loss.

Also, I don't want to be melodramatic, but I feel the mother's response was a real loss of a moment there. As a parent, I know that those moments aren't available at your beck and call. They occur and you either take advantage of them or you lose them. Another one may appear, but it may not appear, also. I also wanted my kids to get the image of reading as something exciting -- not something to just be shuttled off.

As a teacher, it was usually pretty easy to spot the kids whose parent were readers. And it was pretty easy to spot those whose parents were not readers.

My hope is that, in this instance, she was just rushed and would get around to the question later; but, even if she does, the receptivity may be diminished.

In the movie "Contact" (with Jodie Foster) my favorite part was the opening 10 minutes or so where the father is always helping the daughter see how interesting the world is. Asking questions, encouraging research, putting information out there, etc. That kind of parenting will do more than all the great (and mediocre and crappy) teachers in the world. Even at that, my parents were both readers, but it took a friend to introduce me to Ray Bradbury. And Bradbury is the one that really sparked me as a reader.

But, as an aside, I do think the fact that my parents were both readers created a climate where I could be turned on by Bradbury in a pretty receptive way. I went from Mad Magazine and Spiderman to 60 books a year in one year. In high school, I probably read 250 books: Sci Fi, literature, fiction, philosophy, theology, religion, scriptural texts of most world religions, etc.

That story just reminded me so of my reaction, at age ten, on first seeing a Bradbury book. It was "I Sing the Body Electric!" on a shelf at a home where I was visiting. I remember thinking, no way could I read a book I couldn't even understand the TITLE of! And my mother would probably have given a similiar answer had I asked her that then. Needless to say, four and a half years later this very title was one of my favorite books. I do recall one exchange for which I had no reply. I was 13 and an elderly couple from my church had taken me to a restaurant for dinner. I asked the man about his reading and he replied he didn't, because, "What good would it do me to spend my time going to the library, checking out a book, and reading about events which never happened?" This answer left me dumfounded, at a loss, and ABSOLUTELY SPEECHLESS! Pulitzer and Nobel prizewinning author Toni Morrison has said she was raised in an environment where writing was considered a "major waste of time," but this was my first encounter with any such notion.

It's been said so often that RB's work isn't "really" SF (heck, he's even said it himself), that we should remember the other side of the story.

MANY of Ray's stories are undoubtedly science fiction. My favorite RB story is science fiction. I have developed a love of SF as a result of being a Bradbury fan, and how could that have happened if his work is so non-SF?

As for what SF is - and observe how boldly I plunge into a topic that's best avoided because it's way over my head - it's simply fiction with material aspects which can't happen according to current knowledge.

If it's presented in a way that suggests it could happen, it's SF. If not, it's fantasy.

The mother definitely missed a golden moment. It makes you wonder if this might be the same response given when asked about architecture, an art form, myths, music, history, etc. Hopefully, she was just in a big hurry and this was not a typical response!?

To capture just a little of the imagination of a young child or teenager can then open up limitless possiblilities. I am presently reading Yestermorrow essays - RB offers
always fascinating perspectives!

"Science fiction," for lack of a better term in this discussion, sure can do it! Point in case, to supplement a unit on The Illustrated Man, I have been bringing in other selections from Mr. Bradbury's s.s. works that create the same suspense and reveal his amazing settings.

Recently when the students arrived, I handed out a copy of "The Sound of Thunder" and simply told them to prepare to travel a half a century into the future and then back in time 60 million years.

I witnessed many blank looks, some smiles, a few disinterested frowns, yet most immediately began flipping through the packet. The cover drawing was by Joe Mugnaini (Golden Apples version). I had also included several enlarged illustrations by William Scott from RB's great short collection Dinosaur Tales!

The students (ages 14-15) settled in and I snapped a tape player into action with a audio tape of Sound of Thunder (RB Himself, 19 Complete Stories!!). As the kids were reading and listening, they encountered
the images of the pictures, read and heard Mr. Bradbury's own words, and used their own imaginations in relating to what this experience would be like. I could tell they were enthralled even as they turned from
page 1 to 2.

The story ends ironically, of course, with the "sound of thunder" and Eckels' death.

Then, a coup de grace: I showed them The RB Theater episode of Sound of Thunder! They walked out of class buzzing about the
story and the sights and sounds they had just experienced. Where else but in SF, fantasy, or the genres of like form.

I have students asking for more RB stories just a week or so into the unit! I frequently find this reaction from students with RB's works (9-12 readings include DW, F451, Ill Man, SWTWC, MC, GAofS - what a pleasure!!) Hopefully, the students will long be pondering and asking questions because of something that arises from our readings or discussions!

In Mr. Bradbury's own words, "Science Fiction is not a part of main stream literature. It IS main stream literature!"



[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 09-23-2002).]