Mr. Voge

Science and computer programming teacher Mr. Kyle Voge suggests his “all-time” favorite book, “Contact” by Carl Sagan.

Mr. Voge is a very big fan of Carl Sagan. “This [book] is his only work of fiction — it was cool to see his creative side,” he said. “It also involves some very advanced science that was a challenge for me to understand. I really like reading a novel that makes me go look something up… Novels aren’t any fun if they don’t challenge you in at least some way.”

Mr. Voge said the vocabulary alone is a “fun” challenge. “Sagan is an absolute master wordsmith, and it’s so inspiring to see how he can describe something in such beautiful ways,” he said. “Also, there are so many implications to the plot beyond just the sci-fi aspect that I find exhilarating.”

Mr. Voge said that “Contact” is about a radio astronomer who “detects a message from outer space, and eventually it is discovered to be instructions for building a machine.”

This book is a mix of hard science and geopolitics, according to Mr. Voge, and he has read it about six times. 

“There are also some incredible science vs. religion discussions about humans’ place in the universe and how we know whether building the machine is the ‘right’ choice,” he said. “I feel like this could even be used somehow in a religion class.”

Mr. Voge said this book is definitely not an easy read. “I mean, it’s not Pynchon, but I definitely have to re-read sections of it,” he said.

This book is great for all sci-fi fans and students of politics, according to Mr. Voge. “I think you’ll enjoy [“Contact”]  if you’ve enjoyed Gaiman, Asimov, Machiavelli, Tzu, deGrasse Tyson, or Zinn,” he said.