Review: Zip-Zip and his Flying Saucer

Zip-Zip and his Flying Saucer by John M. Schealer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book probably doesn't deserve the five stars I am giving it, but I am going to give them, anyway, because of the effect the book had on me. I read it probably about 55 years ago and still remember at least a little of it. More than just the memory of the book though, I remember that this book introduced me to science fiction - the idea that things in my culture shouldn't necessarily be taken at face value. Other beings would experience them differently and value them differently. I suppose I could have gotten the same thing from cultural fiction, historical fiction, and even biography. But I was drawn to the completely implausible. There was also Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint and there were books of similar ilk.

As a young adult, I continued to read a lot of science fiction. I read less of it now, but I am still drawn to the exploration of cultural differences, when the cultural differences effect human and/or human/alien interactions. I am also drawn to exploration of cultural differences in general. I am not so much interested in the technical marvels of futuristic inventions themselves, but rather their effects on living beings.

And to think, a simple kids' book like this got that all started. That's why it gets 5 stars.

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