I was probably in the 4th grade or so, slightly older than your 8 year old, when a librarian handed me a copy of Robert Heinlein's 'Citizen of the Galaxy', thinking I might enjoy it (I did). Never looked back and been reading SF since then. I went on to 'Doorway into Summer', another Heinlein story that was an easy read of course followed by Starship Trooper, etc. Heinlein and Asimov are both extremely clear and concise writers who never tried to do anything other than tell a good story as straight forward as possible. Try a couple of these, I think you'll like them.
I've known many republicans in my time, having lived in conservative states, and just about all of them believed in evolution AND creationism (that's correct, they're not mutually exclusive, bible says why and evolution says how).
I've been waiting for someone to mention the above premise. For years I thought I was the only one (in my Red state of residence!) who thought there was really not that much conflict between evolution and thinking (if you like) that some deity may have merely started it all off, despite the difference of opinion on time scales. Don't get me wrong. Personally, I think our planet likely rests on the back of 4 huge elephants who are traveling on the back of a giant galactic turtle.
But on a side note, it *has* been fun to watch all the right-wing mayhem over the past several months...
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I was probably in the 4th grade or so, slightly older than your 8 year old, when a librarian handed me a copy of Robert Heinlein's 'Citizen of the Galaxy', thinking I might enjoy it (I did). Never looked back and been reading SF since then. I went on to 'Doorway into Summer', another Heinlein story that was an easy read of course followed by Starship Trooper, etc. Heinlein and Asimov are both extremely clear and concise writers who never tried to do anything other than tell a good story as straight forward as possible. Try a couple of these, I think you'll like them.
I've known many republicans in my time, having lived in conservative states, and just about all of them believed in evolution AND creationism (that's correct, they're not mutually exclusive, bible says why and evolution says how).
I've been waiting for someone to mention the above premise. For years I thought I was the only one (in my Red state of residence!) who thought there was really not that much conflict between evolution and thinking (if you like) that some deity may have merely started it all off, despite the difference of opinion on time scales. Don't get me wrong. Personally, I think our planet likely rests on the back of 4 huge elephants who are traveling on the back of a giant galactic turtle.
But on a side note, it *has* been fun to watch all the right-wing mayhem over the past several months...