Dear Great Book Guru,  Friends went to see the Oscar nominated movie “The Arrival” last weekend and I am eager to see it now too.  They said it was based on a short story. I would love to read it beforehand.  Are you familiar with this story? 

Book Lover- Movie Goer

Dear Book Lover- Movie Goer, Yes this award winning movie is based on a novella which appears in a collection of eight short stories: STORIES OF YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS by Ted Chiang.  “Story of Your Life”- the piece “Arrival” is based on- is the story of a young linguist who is taught the language of an alien culture allowing her to think beyond the normal constraints of time- its beginnings and endings and all that comes between. Throughout the story we- like our linguist narrator- experience time as a totally different dimension.  By the end, we realize how limited our approach to existence might very well be. The other seven stories are also mind bending as they explore possibilities we might never have considered. This is science fiction without battles or technical jargon; instead, it is an exposition of ideas. Chiang was born in Port Jefferson, Long Island.  How great it would be, if his work were chosen in the future for the prestigious annual Long Island Reads event!