Read this when
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Iran schedules a six-hour depression on her mood machine because the world deserves it. Philip K. Dick got the numbness right in 1968.
Who it's for
The novel invites readers to question the idea that feelings can be measured or switched on and off: Rick and Iran literally dial their moods on a machine, yet Iran chooses to schedule despair because she believes it is the honest response to their world.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Philip K. Dick's 1968 science-fiction novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco after a nuclear war, World War Terminus, has left Earth radioactive and most animal species endangered or extinct. Bounty hunter Rick Deckard is assigned to 'retire' six escaped Nexus-6 androids, which can barely be told apart from humans except by an empathy test.
Where to find it
In print (Del Rey / Gollancz SF Masterworks); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain. Adapted loosely as the film Blade Runner (1982).
Before you start
Heads up: Killing of androids and animal cruelty.
Age: Ages 14+
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Self-Knowledge”
