heinleinblog

From The Alien Online:

Fantasy author Juliet McKenna is always full of enthusiasm for these kind of events. “I’m a great fan of public libraries and think they deserve all the support we writers can give them,” she said. “As a kid, I read everything I could get my hands on and my local branch library in Dorset was a god-send. My early inclination to SF&F was very well served since when the nice twin-set and pearls ladies had to agree I’d read absolutely everything in the kids section, they gave me permission to take SF&F books out of the adult section, despite the fact I was technically not old enough, because, obviously, if Robert Heinlein had books in the kids section, his adult stuff must be fairly harmless as well…

Harmless? How little they knew

BWAHAHAHA!

My master plan went into effect today.

On the last of a three-day-long substitute teaching assignment, I nonchalantly asked the class: “Anyone here like to read science fiction?”

“Yes!” One teenage girl answered. “I like the older stuff.”

“Really?” I said, twirling my mustache is a Snidely Whiplash fashion. “I just *happened* to be reorganizing my bookshelves yesterday, and I found that I had more than one copy of these books …” I placed five paperbacks on the desk — “Tunnel in the Sky,” “Time For the Stars,” “Orphans in the Sky” “Double Star” and “Starman Jones.”

“You can have any of these or all of them if you like,” I said, hiding my sinister enthusiasm. “Heinlein is one of the masters of the golden age of science fiction. He’s won a ton of awards — this one won a Hugo — and they’ve done some movies of some of his work, although the books are much, much better.”

She grabbed them all, which is what any real science fan would do.

Later on, I mentioned that she could visit http://heinleinsociety.org if she wanted to learn more.

Now I must visit the used book store and restock. I went and gave away my last copy of Starman Jones.

I keep this up, soon every student in Central Illinois will be reading Heinlein! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!