Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy Science Fiction Day!

Happy Science Fiction Day!

January 2nd is Science Fiction Day because January 2, 1920, was science fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s birthday. Isaac Asimov wrote over four hundred works and was best known for his science fiction stories, especially his Foundation series about a science which can be used to predict the future.

Science fiction isn’t all about spaceships and robots, though. Lois Lowry’s popular book, The Giver is an example of a science fiction “dystopia” novel. Dystopias are imaginary societies in which something makes the society dysfunctional. For example, in The Giver, people no longer feel strong emotions; this is supposed to stop suffering, but it also stops people from feeling great joy.

Although science fiction is mostly about the future or imaginary worlds, it often makes a point about the world we live in now. A story about a society where different races live in different cities can shed light on racism in our own time, and a story about a species where everyone is the same gender can get us thinking about gender roles in our society.

To celebrate Science Fiction Day, curl up with a favorite science fiction book—or better yet, check out the great girl-written science fiction stories right here on New Moon Girls, such as Mars by Kristen Reid, Being a Nobody by Emily, and Moon Fairy by Lola. Recommend your favorite science fiction books at the Rants & Raves Shout Out! boards. Upload your own science fiction stories to “your stuff.” And never stop stretching your imagination!

Love,

Luna

P.S. What better time to celebrate Science Fiction Day than at the beginning of a new year? We’re “making a new start” this week and looking toward the future. And we’ll keep talking about the future in the next two weeks with our themes of “The Future” (starting January 3) and “Growing Up” (starting January 10). And don’t forget to check out the current issue of New Moon Girls magazine, with the theme, “What the Future Holds”!

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