But unlike the others, lots of people called Asimov a serial groper. In its broad outlines, his story is also that of many cultural figures - from Noam Chomsky or Bernard Malamud to Mel Brooks or Bernie Sanders.Įach of the people I listed made (or still make!) tremendous contributions to U.S. He was born to a Jewish family that moved to Brooklyn, and his father owned a small shop. Asimov’s Contextįor anyone not familiar with Asimov, he has a very common early 20th century American immigrant story. Of course, at the time I didn’t know about the harassment issue. One time, I even dressed as him for a school project. But in the 1990s, you could get an education for free from Isaac Asimov at the school library. When you’re a kid growing up in rural Indiana, you probably won’t get an education in the low quality schools (though mine had a number of good teachers). But he also wrote intro books on medieval history, astronomy, the Bible, Shakespeare, and many other topics. Plenty of people - myself included! - know Asimov as the sci-fi author who wrote the Foundation series. Want to guess who wrote tons of inexpensive, accessible intro books on dozens of topics? Like lots of schools in poor rural areas, mine carried a ton of inexpensive, accessible intro books on dozens of topics. I started reading his books when I was a bright middle school kid who hung out at the school library. I’ve been a fan of Asimov’s writing for many years. According to Nevala-Lee, Asimov exemplified a certain type of sexual harasser: the awkward, nerdy boy who used his intellectual output to gain social power over women who otherwise wouldn’t pay him any attention.Īnd he claims, with lots of documentation, that the sci-fi community knew all about it. He also wrote an article documenting Asimov’s long history with sexual harassment and assault.Īnd it’s quite a history, if we assume it happened the way Nevala-Lee tells it. Alec Nevala-Lee, science fiction author and nonfiction writer, wrote a biography of Asimov and other important early sci-fi figures ( Astounding). In my case, Isaac Asimov was one of those cherished cultural figures. Others with condemnation, indifference, defensiveness, or even outright apologism. These moments provoke in us as wide a range of reactions as they do experiences. Maybe it’s someone else you admire or just enjoy watching on TV.Įver since the start of the #MeToo movement, most of us have had this experience at least once. Maybe it’s your favorite musician, filmmaker, actor, or author.

A cherished cultural figure did a bad thing. Image from IsaacMao on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Alec nevala lee astounding