Turning Place

I bought this book through one of those Scholastic newsletter things when I was in 5th or 6th grade, about 20 years ago, and since then I have read and re-read it many times. It is a collection of "future history" stories that take place after an apocalypse forever changes the direction of human history and evolution. When the burgeoning population of Earth is poised to colonize the stars, a rival civilization desiring the same colony worlds wipes out most of the human race, leaving just enough people to continue the species but not enough to be a threat to them for a long, long time. The human population recovers and relearns its technology quite quickly (there's quite an amusing story about that part that will strike a chord with every smart kid who can't--or won't--blindly follow "the rules"), but instead of continuing down its previous path, humanity turns strangely inward and focuses on mental development. It's kind of hard to describe where this leads, but I thought it was pretty cool.Each story takes place at least a generation after the last, so a lot of history is covered. There's not a lot of action (so at first I was a little disappointed in it as a young boy) because the stories are about people and their circumstances rather than events. Wow, that makes it sound boring, but it's really not! The writing is quite sophisticated for a younger readers' book, which is a good thing if you ask me. Also, most of the main characters (though not all) are young women, so this can be a very positive science fiction book for girls. As a boy, I was never bothered by the many female characters, so it's not just a "girl's book."I've never read anything like it since (even though I am an avid science fiction reader), and my very timeworn copy with its shabby cover and yellowing pages is one of my most prized possessions.