A 1950s science fiction novella that asks uncomfortable questions about what women really want, and whether they know it themselves. Katheryn 'Miss Kitty' Kittredge is a schoolteacher and intellectual stranded on a parallel Earth with two male astronauts after a space accident. The advanced civilization they knew is gone; only wilderness remains. As survival demands practical skills, Miss Kitty finds herself rebuilding society from scratch, and discovering that her instincts for nurturing and homemaking aren't betrayals of her intelligence but extensions of it. The men build machines; she builds a home. But the real tension lies in what Clifton refuses to resolve: is this liberation or trap? The story's dated gender politics are its greatest asset, forcing readers to grapple with the messy reality that women's liberation has never been simple. For readers who enjoy their science fiction with philosophical weight and historical context.
