The Chrysalids is a dystopian novel and coming of age story by the British science-fiction writer John Wyndham. The young inhabitant of a town called Waknuk describes a post-apocalyptic society ruled by the jealously guarded notion that man is made in God’s image and so he should remain – at any cost. One of the book’s most memorable speeches apparently inspired a song by Jefferson Airplane. – Aisha Motlani (ACLS Resident Fellow, 2022-23)