A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ
By:Walter M. Miller Jr.
A Canticle for Leibowitz"I believe is by far the best book I've read in this class. I have never considered science fiction to be literature, but
I believe Walter M. Miller Junior's "A Canticle for Leibowitz"to be literature. I believe this is one of the best books I ever read. What intrigued me the most was that Walter M. Miller's book"A Canticle for Leibowitz" spanned approximately 1000 years. While reading "A Canticle for Leibowitz"I did some research on Walter M. Miller Junior and learned that he was born in new Smyrna Beach Florida. During World War II he served in the Army air Corp.'s and flew 53 bombing missions over Italy. One of them bombing missions he took part in was the bombing of the Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino. Later he would say that bombing was the most traumatic experience for him. After the war he converted to Catholicism and I believe this book "A Canticle for Leibowitz"was based on his experience during the war He worked on a railroad as an engineer and never graduated from college, but had a wonderful imagination and a talented gift for writing. I was saddened to learn that he suffered from depression later in life and took his own life in 1996 at the age of 74. Walter M. Miller was truly a great science fiction writer.
The guiding question: What do you make of Miller's notion that religious inspiration can create a culture saving alternative community? I believe Miller's notion that religion can inspire a culture saving community is right on target. Noah's Ark comes to mind when I think about this question. Personally, I do not believe God would allow us to annihilate ourselves without stepping in to save humanity."A Canticle for Leibowitz"makes me wonder how many times humanity has reinvented the wheel. How many times has civilization risen and fallen. If we don't learn from the...