Beginning and End

by Isaac Asimov

Collection of essays: The past: The real Cyrano. Of what use? The democracy of learning. The monsters we have lived with. The fossil fuels. A drop of water. The present: Smart, but not smart enough? Recipe for an ocean. Technology and energy. The glorious sun. Astronomy. The large satellites of Jupiter. The natural satellites. Of life beyond. The beginning and the end. Gravitation, unlimited. Man and computer. The future: The big weather change. Tighten your belt. America--A.D. 2176. The coming decades in space. Colonizing the heavens. The moon as threshold.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?