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The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
For students in School of Allied Medical Professions, Fisher College of Business, Dental Hygiene, College of Education, College of Engineering, School of Environmental and Natural Resources, College of Food, Agricultural, Environmental Sciences, College of Human Ecology, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Social Work*
*Exploration Program students may choose among the three BBC books.
An Evening with Elizabeth Moon
October 16 and 17, 2006
7 p.m. in the Ohio Union Ballrooms
First-year students: To register and receive credit, sign-up on the Success Series web site. Tickets for the event will be available for pick-up beginning October 2 at 120 Enarson Hall.
General public: Campus community and friends are welcome! Free tickets will be available begining October 9 at 120 Enarson Hall. Seating is limited.
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About The Speed of Dark
(from the hardcover edition
dust jacket)
Set in the near future where disease has become a condition of the past, Elizabeth Moon’s The Speed of Dark follows the life of a high-functioning autistic, Lou Arrendale. Born at the wrong time to reap the awards of medical science, Lou has still managed to have a steady job with a pharmaceutical company, a car, friends, and a passion for fencing. Aside from his annual visits to his counselor, he lives a low-key, independent life.
But his quiet life comes under attack with the discovery of an experimental treatment that will reverse the effects of autism in adults. With this treatment Lou would think
and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? There are intense pressures coming from the world around him—including an angry supervisor who wants to cut costs by sacrificing the supports necessary to employ autistic workers. Perhaps even more disturbing are the barrage of questions within himself. For Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world…and the very essence of who he is. |
About Elizabeth Moon
(from Elizabeth Moon’s web site, www.sff.net/Elizabeth.Moon)
The author of 18 science fiction and fantasy novels and several dozen short stories, Elizabeth Moon won the Compton Crook Award for her first novel in 1989 and the 2004 Nebula award for The Speed of Dark. A native of Texas, Moon has earned a bachelor's degree in both history and biology, and served three years in the Marines during the Vietnam War. She trained to be a paramedic while her husband, Richard, was in medical school.
After training in an army hospital she spent six years as an ambulance driver and paramedic for her husband’s rural clinic. When her adopted son Michael proved to be autistic, Moon eventually retired to a more stay-at-home lifestyle which opened the door to her career as a writer.
Moon currently lives in Florence, Texas, with her husband and their son.
Book-Related Links
Author’s web site: www.sff.net/Elizabeth.Moon
Reader’s guide: www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/speed_of_dark1.asp
Reviews:
Infinity Plus: www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/speedofdark.htm
www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/clarkes2003.htm#moon
Bookreporter: www.bookreporter.com/reviews/0345447549.asp
Interviews:
From Locus online: www.locusmag.com/2004/Issues/03Moon.html
From Scifidiminsions: www.scifidimensions.com/Feb03/elizabethmoon.htm
Learn more about the issues:
Autism: www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WhatIsAutism
Medical ethics: discussions.ushmm.org/insights/comment_thread.php?TopicComment__CommentId=5131
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