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This is the first time I’ve read anything written by Carl Sagan. If I’m honest, I was hesitant to—intimidated, even. A scientific mind as large as his has preconceived notions about life, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to put myself through the wringer. Was I ready to duke it out with an academic legend? Even if his notions are based in fact, they can restrict the breadth of a work of fiction. I’m happy to report that none of this was the case with Contact.

Contact tells the story of humanity receiving a message from the cosmos and the challenges of unlocking and understanding it. They find out the message isn’t about anything off-world; it’s about humanity’s future. It’s about working together—something they had to do to receive and unlock the message and its contents—for survival. It’s about retaining that sliver of faith and hope when everything is against you.

If you haven’t read the novel, you may have seen the movie starring Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and many other talented actors. It follows the core theme of the novel, though trimmed down significantly in some sections (i.e. characters). It’s worth it to watch as it holds true to the message and structure of the novel very well.

Ellie, our protagonist, is our reluctant scientific hero. Agnostic, as many of them are, she often butts heads with those who move forward through blind faith alone. Based on her life experiences growing up, we see how they have shaped her into the person she is today. She is rigid in her beliefs, but she’s always open to possibilities. This makes her a great character to follow, as she’s always inquisitive.

Sagan presents all sides in this story, from science to religion, military and beyond (here’s to you, Tent City crackpots). He isn’t afraid to put these characters front and center, then back them into a corner as they debate the best path forward for humanity. Sometimes, debates come off a little skewed. I felt some of the religious arguments could have been written better, but most of them are very interesting. As the novel comes to its conclusion, these debates become one-sided, tapping into the core message of the novel.

Through it all, you see Ellie change. She mentions later in the novel how she has brought faith into her life because she believes something she can’t prove. Meanwhile, Palmer Joss, a preacher and confidant of hers, leans toward requiring proof of Ellie’s claims. As stories go, she also finds out truths about her past that help her understand her path forward.

The thing that stood out most to me about Contact is how little the story actually had to do with aliens, and how much it had to do with humanity. We are the ones holding ourselves back, and the ones who will send ourselves to our doom through both our actions and inactions.

It’s a story of faith, hope, and resilience when faced with great opposition—timeless notions in human history, and our future.

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