Futuristic books have grown more popular in past years. With the re-showing of “Star Wars” in 3D, the release of “The Hunger Games” and other science fiction books being on the top 10 list, many are looking to these books to explore and discuss potential problems.
BYU alumna Nancy Fulda was nominated for the Nebula Award, an annual award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for the best science fiction novel or short story published in the United States the previous year, with her short story, “Movement.” The futuristic story is about an autistic girl named Hannah. She is completely non-verbal, and the story is about her finding out who she is and deciding who she wants to become.
“I hope they’ll come away thinking, ‘Wow, I never thought of it like that,'” Fulda said. “I hope they’ll see the world a little bit differently after they read. I hope the experience of reading this book will change people, in small ways, for the better.”
Fulda’s son has an autistic spectrum condition. He is verbal but at the time she was writing the book, Fulda and her son were struggling with communicating. Though her son didn’t inspire the character Hannah, the two share similar growing and communicating processes.
“I am pleased to report that for my son and me, the story has a happy ending,” Fulda said. “There are plenty of mountains left for us to scale, but we’ve found a common ground that lets us be ourselves and still enjoy each others’ company.”
Melinda Lambert, 22, is a chemistry major who is an avid fan of science fiction. She and her friends consider themselves second generation “Trekkies,” and she likes the way science fiction can make someone think.
“I like science fiction when it’s not too out there,” Lambert said. “I like it when they ask really engaging questions of the readers because they make you think and are not just for entertainment purposes.”
Aaron Meldrum is another avid science fiction fan who said he is excited a BYU alumna is so successful in the science fiction field. He likes that Fulda is exploring ideas which could become realities.
“I like science fiction because it allows your imagination to expand on new ideas that are not yet reality,” Meldrum said.
The 47th Annual Nebula Award will be in Arlington, Va., and will be hosted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The event will run from May 17 – 20. The awards banquet will feature astronaut Mike Fincke as the keynote speaker.
