First published in 1973 by editor William F Goodykoontz for Scholastic Books, this Genre Anthology contains nine Science Fiction stories.
Works in this anthology:
- "The Windows Of Heaven", by
Anonymous (1966) - "Times Angry Man", by AM Lightner (1973)
- "EPICAC", by Kurt Vonnegut (1950)
- "The Forbin Project", by James Bridges (1969)
- "The Fun They Had", by Isaac Asimov (1951)
- "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury (1951)
- "Once There Was", by Dottie Gittelson (1973)
- "Taking Honor", by Jill Infiorati (1971)
- "There Will Come Soft Rains", by Ray Bradbury (1950)
- "The Weapon", by Fredric Brown (1951)
Tropes appearing in this work:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: In "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury, black Americans have left Earth to colonize Mars. They left Earth in 1965, around twenty years before the events in the story, so many of those first-generation colonists are still alive to remember why they left.
- Death Is Dramatic: In "Taking Honor", a one-act play by Jill Infiorati, the baby, Honor is supposed to taken by the state government because the family is in violation of the Population Control laws. After the sick mother, Laura, cries out to announce her death, the police retreat, because the household is now back down to four members.
- Fantastic Racism: In "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury, Mars has been colonized by black Americans escaping racism. The rumored arrival of a white man kicks off some nasty undercurrents of retributive reverse-racism.
- Future Society, Present Values: In "The Other Foot", Ray Bradbury assumes segregation in America will continue well into the future, and become so extreme that black people will eventually colonize Mars on their own. The all-black colony ends up in a very good position to retaliate against their former oppressors (and they almost go through with it, too) yet ultimately both sides are able to reconcile their differences and live together in peace. For added irony, the Civil Rights Movement started in the 1950's, just after this was written.
- Gun Stripping: In "Taking Honor", by Jill Infiorati, Johnny is supposed to take out a rifle and start cleaning it. His father, Dr Walker, briefly tries to convince him to put away the gun, but Johnny wants it to be ready in case they have to fight off an attack.
- Literary Allusion Title: In "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury, the title (and Willie) refer to a common English idiom, "now the shoe is on the other foot", implying the persecuted negros have the opportunity to create oppressive laws against caucasians.
- The Migration: In "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury, black Americans have left Earth to colonize Mars]]. They left Earth in 1965, and many of those first-generation colonists still remember why they left.
- The Namesake: In "Taking Honor", a one-act play by Jill Infiorati, the title's meaning becomes clear very quickly; Honor is the name of the family's third child, which is illegal, so the Family Planning Bureau is there to take the three-day old infant by force.
- Oddly Overtrained Security: In "Taking Honor", by Jill Infiorati, the Family Planning Bureau for Providence, Rhode Island is capable of organizing police and reporters to invade a family home, turn off water and electricity, all to enforce the Population Control laws.
- Our Acts Are Different: "Taking Honor", a Play by Jill Infiorati, consists of a single act/scene and around twelve characters.
- Persecution Flip: In "The Other Foot", by Ray Bradbury, the population of Mars is entirely black. Because the planet was colonized within recent memory, adults have memories of segregation and lynchings, and when the news arrives that a rocket manned by whites is entering the atmosphere, a furious mob gathers, planning to institute Jim Crow laws in reverse. They are ultimately deterred when it's revealed that Earth has been bombed out after a nuclear war, and the story ends with the survivors settling on Mars and the hope of a new start for humanity.
- Population Control: In "Taking Honor", by Jill Infiorati, the Family Planning Bureau is planning on taking three-day-old Honor for violating the state laws against family population numbers. When her mother, Laura, dies, the Bureau retreats because there's only four members of the household again.Third Newsman: "Mr Braddon? Mr Braddon? What about the baby? What happens to it?"
Brad: "Nothing. There's only four in this family now. My job is done." - Spear Carrier: In "Taking Honor", by Jill Infiorati, the two guards and three news reporters have (collectively) six lines. They invade the home behind two named characters, while red police lights flash from offstage, creating a sense of crowds and confusion for Laura's death.
- World War III: In "The Other Foot", a Short Story by Ray Bradbury, Earth has sent an old white man to Mars in a spaceship to report on the offscreen events of the third world war. He describes how the cities of the world were burned by atomic bombs. Then he begs the blacks who colonized Mars, who made Mars livable, to allow the white folks, the ones who made Earth too radioactive to live on, to live with them. The white folks even expect the Persecution Flip.
