A Child’s Imagination

Of the 180 witnesses called to testify before the 2004 Presidential Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond, Bradbury would be the only writer. Chapter 39 documents his abiding contention that a struggle against the universe would replace warfare with a new movement away from Earthbound politics. He continued to avoid a pragmatic discussion, but the Commission chair noted that Bradbury’s words had reminded everyone that they were planning for the future of their own children. The chapter continues with his selection for a 2004 National Medal of Arts bestowed by President George W. Bush, the selection of Fahrenheit 451 for the nation’s Big Read program, and the final development of Bradbury’s unfinished Mexican novel as the screenplay for The Next in Line.