Reality Matrix Effect (9781310151330) by Laura Remson Mitchell

that, you have to
think. That was your assignment.”
    There was no sound from the students, but few
of them met Rayna’s gaze.
    “Today, you don’t come into the world with
two strikes against you just because of your sex or your religion
or the color of your skin. Your future depends on you, not on how
much money your parents may have. For most of humanity throughout
most of history, that hasn’t been the case. It’s important for you
to understand that. In the past, it always seemed to take a riot to
remind those in power that things weren’t right. And when the riots
were over, all you usually had were dead bodies and burned-out
neighborhoods and a lot of words.”
    “Sort of like what we’re getting now,” Rick
muttered to his neighbor.
    Rayna glared at Rick.
    “The point is that after the 1971 riots,
people made a conscious commitment to rebuild the damaged cities in
a way that would make a lasting difference. Project New Start—the
program that replaced slum buildings with planned integrated
housing and new local businesses—that started right here in Los
Angeles and eventually spread to other cities.”
    “Yeah, and the federal government redesigned
the employment service, too,” Rick interrupted. “Like Xian said,
we’ve heard it all before. Why keep going over it?”
    Rayna heaved a deep sigh of frustration. “Can
anyone answer Rick’s question?  Did any of you give this
assignment any real thought at all?”
    Rayna’s challenge was met by a score of blank
stares. She shut her eyes briefly and massaged the bridge of her
nose. After a moment, she swept the class with a silent, probing
look, shifting her focus from face to face around the room.
Finally, she spoke.
    “It’s because of the Rebirth that you can now
take for granted the right to live anywhere you want to live, to
get any job you decide to train for, with no thought about racial,
religious or sexual barriers. Some of your grandparents must be old
enough to remember the bad old days. Ask them about it. Maybe then
you’ll understand.” 
    She shook her head distractedly, her thoughts
drifting from the students to a puzzle that had long piqued her
academic curiosity. “Funny thing is, nobody ever could explain why
it all worked out this time when even the best efforts had always
failed before. There are plenty of theories, but nobody seems to
agree on....”  She paused for a deep breath and refocused on
the class. “That’s why I asked you to write an essay on the period.
Your opinion’s as good as the historians’. I wanted you to
question. To wonder. To....”
    Rayna stopped, realizing once more that she
wasn’t getting through. She needed to try a new approach.
    “Okay. Look, I know talking to you like this
isn’t doing any good. I just seem to be boring you.”  Rick
rolled his eyes in agreement, eliciting a few muffled chuckles.
    “I’ve been thinking of trying a little
experiment anyway, and this may be just the right time. It will
give you a chance to learn more about history in a very personal
way. Each of you will be doing something a little bit different.
And it will be nearly impossible for you to simply copy from an
encyclopedia!”
    “Uh-oh,” Rick groaned. “Sounds like we’re in
for a lot of work.”
    “If you give yourselves a chance, I think
you’ll really enjoy this assignment.
    “Here’s what I want you to do:  Choose
an ancestor of yours—make it a minimum of, oh, five generations
back. Then find out all you can about the time and place your
ancestor lived in. Finally, I want you to get creative. I want you
adopt your ancestor’s persona. In other words, pretend that you are
your multi-great grandparent. Then I want you to write a letter or
a diary entry or some kind of day-in-the-life narrative that will
reflect your ancestor’s life and times. We’ll read your papers
aloud and discuss them in class.”
    Twenty pairs of eyes stared at Rayna in
horrified silence. A moment later, a buzz of