As a second-semester senior, I’ve seen most of what the public education system has to offer when it comes to assigned reading. Though I love English class, I’ve noticed a conspicuous absence of my favorite kinds of literature: the kinds of books with magical powers, space travel, and dragons. The books I’ve read for school have been incredibly valuable to my education, but I’ve noticed that fantasy and science fiction have been sorely neglected in the classroom, almost as if they don’t belong in an academic setting. I want to flip this narrative. Authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, or N.K. Jemison may be vastly different from Shakespeare or Austen, but that does not lessen their literary, cultural, and educational value. Their books have a place on our shelves right next to Macbeth or Jane Eyre.

In order to prove that fantasy and science fiction have real academic value, I have dedicated myself to the pursuit of writing about my favorite books for an entire semester. I plan on five total installments of this project, including analysis, reviews, and general fun. Each time, I will seek to answer the question: do these books deserve a place in the classroom?