Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary

• Genre: Fiction; science fiction/adventure
• Originally Published: 2021
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 30 chapters; approximately 476 pages; approximately 16 hours, 10 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Ryland Grace is the only survivor on a mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat from space. After waking up alone on a spaceship with no memory of his mission or his training, Ryland must piece together what he needs to survive while working to save the planet.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Mild violence; threat of global catastrophe; isolation; death; mention of suicide; sparse profanity

Andy Weir, Author

• Bio: Born 1972; American novelist; former software engineer; self-proclaimed “space nerd”; gained recognition with his debut novel The Martian, which he originally self-published; known for detailed research and commitment to scientific accuracy; one of the prominent figures in contemporary science fiction literature
• Other Works: The Martian (2011); Artemis (2017)
• Awards: Dragon Award - Best Science Fiction Novel (2021); Goodreads Choice Award - Best Science Fiction (2022); Audie Award - Science Fiction (2022); Audie Award - Audiobook of the Year (2022); Seiun Award - Best Translated Long Work (2022)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Survival, Sacrifice, and the Utilitarian Good
• The Justifiable Use of Advanced Science for Morally Complex Purposes
• The Role of Speculation in Discovery and the Danger of Assumptions
• The Importance of Cultural Relativism in Collaboration

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of scientific and theoretical contexts regarding basic skills and qualities needed for survival in remote or extreme environments.
• Read paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Survival, Sacrifice, and the Utilitarian Good, The Justifiable Use of Advanced Science for Morally Complex Purposes, The Role of Speculation in Discovery and the Danger of Assumptions, and The Importance of Cultural Relativism in Collaboration.
• Plan and write an alternative chapter in which a key decision would alter the timeline of events, demonstrating the relationship between cause and effect in the novel based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate themes and motifs to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding isolation, memory, decision-making, and other topics.