Dr. Pak's Preschool [Paperback]

David Brin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pulphouse Pub (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561465453
• ISBN-13: 978-1561465453
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,184,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Brin is a scientist, public speaker and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages.

His 1989 ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends such as the World Wide Web. A 1998 movie, directed by Kevin Costner, was loosely based on his post-apocalyptic novel, The Postman. David's novel Kiln People has been called a book of ideas disguised as a fast-moving and fun noir detective story, set in a future when new technology enables people to physically be in more than two places at once. A hardcover graphic novel The Life Eaters explored alternate outcomes to WWII, winning nominations and high praise.

David's science fictional Uplift Universe explores a future when humans genetically engineer higher animals like dolphins to become equal members of our civilization. These include the award-winning Startide Rising, The Uplift War, Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore and Heaven's Reach. He also recently tied up the loose ends left behind by the late Isaac Asimov: Foundation's Triumph brings to a grand finale Asimov's famed Foundation Universe.

Brin serves on advisory committees dealing with subjects as diverse as national defense and homeland security, astronomy and space exploration, SETI and nanotechnology, future/prediction and philanthropy. His non-fiction book -- The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? -- deals with secrecy in the modern world. It won the Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association.

As a public speaker, Brin shares unique insights -- serious and humorous -- about ways that changing technology may affect our future lives. He appears frequently on TV, including several episodes of "The Universe" and History Channel's "Life After People." He also was a regular cast member on "The ArciTECHS."

Brin's scientific work covers an eclectic range of topics, from astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution. His Ph.D in Physics from UCSD - the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) - followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute. His technical patents directly confront some of the faults of old-fashioned screen-based interaction, aiming to improve the way human beings converse online.

Brin lives in San Diego County with his wife and three children.

You can follow David Brin:
Website: http://www.davidbrin.com/
Blog: http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidBrin1
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/cab801

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good story, January 10, 2002

By 

Alek0 "Alex" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Pak's preschool (Paperback)

The story is very interesting and quite good. I don't have much to add to what the previous reviewer has said, except that the story is included in the collection "Otherness" which would be much better value for the money.

2.0 out of 5 stars A decent story, but poor value for the price, November 24, 2000

By 

Dave Deubler (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Pak's preschool (Paperback)

"Dr. Pak's Preschool" is a fascinating short story that raises interesting questions about the relationship between technology and humanity, but it's doubtful that many readers will consider this tiny book a good value. The story focuses on a young Japanese couple: Reiko and her husband Tetsuo. Tetsuo is smart, ambitious, and believes in the synthesis of Eastern traditions and modern Western methods. This has gained him some small reputation as a rebel, for which he sometimes overcompensates by being ultra-conservative. Reiko herself is a very modern Japanese woman, and longs for the respect and independence that Western girls have, but mainly she just wants to be included in Tetsuo's life, even as he seems to grow ever more distant. This changes only superficially with Reiko's pregnancy. In an effort to give his child the best possible start in life, Tetsuo involves Reiko in a high-tech experiment in pre-natal instruction, with astounding results. Reiko overcomes her own misgivings for her husband's sake, until she discovers the terrible price her son may have to pay for his intellect. The conflict focuses on modernism vs. tradition, technology vs. spirituality, and the needs of the individual vs. the pressures of society. Brin cleverly sets his story in Japan, even at the risk of alienating his Western readers, in order to heighten these conflicts. There's a good deal of suspense as Reiko tries to understand exactly what's happening to the women who participate in this experiment, but it's a shame that the answers Brin gives us are so outrageous. Believable as the first half of the book is, the second half seems pretty ridiculous, and badly undercuts any serious message this story might have hoped to convey. While this really isn't a bad story, the method of publication is very poorly thought out. The story is published all by itself as Short Story Paperback #45, running just over 40 pages and selling for $1.95, which is quite reasonable for a book, but pretty steep for just a single story. Readers might be better advised to spend their hard-earned dollars on a paperback version of one of Brin's many fine novels, any of which can be counted on to provide many hours of entertainment for perhaps three times the price.