The Book That Taught

I am a longtime SF reader, but somehow I had bypassed this fine short-story collection until a few years ago. It was the first book a new girlfriend recommended when we started dating. This wasn't just because it was a good book, however; she felt it would be a good way to introduce me a little bit to her kind of life. You see, she was (and still is) a lifelong paraplegic who uses a wheelchair to get around -- and not to be a "pitymonger," but I can tell you first-hand that this sort of life is not easy to grasp for someone whose body is normal and whose health generally has been excellent.

The stories in "The Ship Who Sang" are set in a spacefaring society (not unlike the Federation in "Star Trek"), and they center on a girl named Helva, born with severe physical deformities. A government agency equips Helva with mechanical sensors and manipulators to compensate somewhat (sometimes even a lot more than somewhat!) and trains her to eventually become a self-supporting, contributing member of society -- as the "brain" of a spaceship, into which she is so completely connected that it serves essentially as her body. Despite the book's title, the stories are never really about the ship as such, but about a young woman dealing with the usual problems of life: relationships, hard choices, career goals, identity. (They are also just rollicking good science fiction!)

This is what my new girlfriend wanted to be sure I understood, that she is not a "wheelchair person," but a "person" -- and no matter how much the chair shapes her lifestyle, it does not change WHO SHE IS. The book is excellent on its own merits, without the subtext for real-life application; but it does all that, and subtext too, without compromise (and without preaching at all). I strongly recommend the collection to anyone at least 11 years old who enjoys either "hard" or "soft" SF, as it has many elements of both.

One final note: the female protagonist may make the stories especially poignant to female readers. Since I'm male, I really could not say; however, my maleness certainly didn't interfere with my ability to enjoy the book, and I think plenty of young adult female readers would readily identify with Helva even more.