Jack is expecting to spend the day celebrating his little brother Charlie's birthday, but the universe has something very different in store. During the party, his family's world is turned upside down by some uninvited guests--cloud monsters. After watching family and friends be abducted by these strange creatures, Jack embarks on a journey to save his family, while trying to understand the motives of the seemingly villainous group. Will they make it to safety in time? Or are they in more danger if they flee? Follow along with Jack, Charlie, and their parents as they struggle to understand the cloud monsters and accept their new reality.

The 1950s are widely regarded as the golden age of American science fiction. This book surveys a wide range of major science fiction novels and films from the long 1950s--the period from 1946 to 1964--when the tensions of the Cold War were at their peak. The American science fiction novels and films of this period clearly reflect Cold War anxieties and tensions through their focus on such themes as alien invasion and nuclear holocaust. In this sense, they resemble the observations of social and cultural critics during the same period. Meanwhile, American science fiction of the long 1950s also engages its historical and political contexts through an interrogation of phenomena, such as alienation and routinization, that can be seen as consequences of the development of American capitalism during this period. This economic trend is part of the rise of the global phenomenon that Marxist theorists have called late capitalism. Thus, American science fiction during this period reflects the rise of late capitalism and participates in the beginnings of postmodernism, described by Frederic Jameson as the cultural logic of late capitalism.

"The Scary Cloud Monster- A Kid Hero Story" is one of several stories originally written for my children. Although the idea of a scary story may seem antithetical to child development and child safety, these stories were designed to be exciting for the relevant age group while promoting the idea that children can use their innate and learned abilities to meet the challenges of their lives. There is a strong educational and science component to the story. Indeed, The Scary Cloud Monster, is colorfully illustrated by a talented graphic artist who is also my daughter-in law, is the story of two young brothers, (around ages 5 and 7) who on a sunny day with a friend, are chatting about the rumor of a cloud monster. As the sun disappears and their friend runs home, Nick and Max are faced with the appearance of an ominous dark cloud that comes alive. As the "hands" of the giant cloud grab hold of Max, the boys use their knowledge about clouds and rain to defeat the monster cloud. The boys use the garden hose in the yard to spray water into the cloud causing it to rain out, successfully defeating the cloud monster. The boys talk about a "Make it Rain" experiment learned in school that showed them when a cloud fills with water, it rains out. Children are urged to try the very simple experiment which is set out for them after the story ends. There is also a safety rule reminding children to tell a trusted adult if they are ever in trouble. It is important to note that the goal of the story is to show that children are heroes who can solve difficult situations without the "special powers" of superheroes. This story is unique in that it uses an age appropriate "scary" theme to encourage children to resolve challenges facing them by using their own education and abilities.