In the midst of a strange and unpleasant battle for the nation’s top office, it might not be surprising to learn that in the year 2076 humans elected a robot to be president of the United States of America.
His name was Chuck10.1. Those who elected him thought he would have fewer foibles than a human but it turned out that robots have issues too. While Chuck10.1 guided the nation through crises such as the toiletbot strike of 2078, he subjected the country to some embarrassing incidents. Among them, it was revealed he was in an illicit relationship with a Toaster from the newly formed conservative Conscious Object Party.
In Gregory Turner-Rahman’s new book “The First Robot President (Robot History for Humans),” robots from the distant future have sent a children’s textbook back through
time to show people of 2016 the future that lies ahead. It’s a different U.S. but the same. The American flag has only one star that represents all 85.3 states. The star is surrounded by a doughnut, America’s favorite food.
The book is illustrated like a graphic novel and geared toward middle school-age children, although adults will enjoy much of the humor.
“There’s Easter eggs throughout the book, secret messages from robots and from humans of the future,” Turner-Rahman said about the layers involved in the tale.
Turner-Rahman, 47, is a self-described “robot fanatic” who lives in Pullman and is the head of the Virtual Technology and Design program at the University of Idaho. His writing and design work has won Apex and Clarion awards and his illustration work has appeared in print and online sites including the New Yorker.
He will offer a drawing workshop for kids Saturday at Neill Public Library in Pullman. The book is available at BookPeople in Moscow and online in print and e-book editions for iBooks and Kindle.
If You Go
Who: Author/illustrator Gregory Turner-Rahman What: Let’s Draw Robots When: 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 Where: Hecht Meeting Room, Neill Public Library, Pullman Of Note: Refreshments will be provided. There will be free bookmarks and stickers for the first 20 kids and a contest to win a Robot President T-shirt.
