We all have our favorite

types of stories. Many people

love a good mystery. Others

love a heartwarming romance.

Some people prefer true crime or

biography. Still others enjoy horror

stories that make you want

to leave the light on. Whatever

your preference, there is benefit

in reading outside your comfort

zone. Research has shown that

reading many different types of

books improves your vocabulary

and writing skills, helps you

see the world through different

perspectives, and can help improve

memory recall. Today I

would like to recommend you

give science fiction a try.

Some of you are already saying,

“Well that’s not for me!” To

quote the words of the character

Sam-I-Am in Dr. Seuss’ Green

Eggs and Ham, “You do not

like them, so you say. Try them,

try them, and you may.” Every

genre has books you will enjoy

and dislike. Sometimes it can

take a few tries to find a book

that sparks your interest. Every

genre also has familiar tropes,

stereotypes, and archetypes.

Generalizations make things

easy to categorize but rarely

represent reality. Take romance

for example. Some people categorize

them into faith-based, historical,

teen angst, or explicitly

descriptive. Now you romance

readers might interject at this

point with, “that’s an oversimplification”,

and you’d be right. I

was speaking with a Minnesota

author about a month ago, who

told me that one of his books had

won a statewide award for best

romance novel. He was quite

surprised because he writes murder

mysteries!

Science fiction is often categorized

into categories like

space opera (think Star Wars

or Star Trek), dystopian (such

as 1984, The Hunger Games,

or The Handmaid’s Tale), or

apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic

(I am Legend is just one example).

You could erase all of those

categories and still have science

fiction because they don’t get

to the essence of what science

fiction is. Every science fiction

story asks one question: “What

if?”

Some of the earliest science

fiction writers of the modern

era were Jules Verne and H.G.

Wells. In the 1800s, they envisioned

things like travel to the

moon, submarines with built-in

power sources, genetic hybridization,

and optical camouflage.

All of which have become reality.

There are plenty of science

fiction ideas that still seem outlandish,

but who knows? One

of the great benefits of science

fiction is that it examines the

possibilities – both good and

bad – of future innovation and

technology. It allows us to think

about the implications, both

practical and ethical, of humanity’s

achievements. Consider the

following questions that relate to

current events. How is artificial

intelligence affecting education,

entertainment, and journalism?

What role does nuclear fusion

have in dealing with climate

change? What are the implications

of genetically-modified

embryos? How is facial recognition

being used for public safety

and at the same time for racial

bias? What are the effects of virtual

reality on people’s relationships

and perceptions of reality?

Each of these questions relates

to a present and real concern in

professional fields, in politics,

and for families and individuals.

Each was pondered in science

fiction at least fifty years ago.

Imagine the possibilities!

Do you enjoy historical fiction?

Time travel and alternate history

stories abound! Enjoy a good

mystery? See how people use

new technologies to commit and

solve crimes! Looking for some

romance? You can find that just

about anywhere: across time,

on distant planets, on a space

ship, between different species,

or just right around the corner!

Fancy a western? There are

plenty of lonesome gunslingers

in rugged frontiers! Looking for

a biography? Check out real inventors

that made science fiction

become science fact! In need of

some adrenaline pumping horror?

Interdimensional beings,

alien lifeforms, and even technology

itself present plenty of

scary options!

Science fiction, like every

genre, has a little bit of something

for everyone. I hope you’ll

give it a try. Our friendly staff

are happy to help you find a few

possibilities, so stop on by the

library. The library is located at

17 N. Broadway and is open to

the public Monday to Thursday

9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday and

Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.