Samuel Delany writes stories that challenge adults and younger readers to think deeply about both the complex ideas presented in his writings and about how these ideas may apply to their own real-life experiences. In The Star Pit, he creates a complex star-faring society in which children are usually raised with multiple fathers and mothers in "procreation groups"; in spite of the potential for ample nurturing that such groups would seem to offer, children and young adults tend to be neglected and are frequently abused. He works out the unusual social structure, as well as addressing concerns particularly important to young readers, and it makes for absorbing reading.

Samuel R. Delany was born in Harlem, New York—then a Mecca for African-American writers, artists, and 4878 The Star Pit musicians— on April 1, 1942. Although life in Harlem acquainted him with poverty, his father owned...