PROJECT HAIL MARY Looks Like a Slam Dunk

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

First Trailer for Adaptation of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I heard that footage shown earlier this year to movie-theater owners was awesome. The book is awesome. Lord & Miller made the Spider-verse movies, which are are awesome. Drew Goddard is back to write the screenplay after nailing The Martian, which was awesome. And so it comes as no surprise that the trailer for Project Hail Mary (releasing March 20th, 2026) is awesome. Does it feel a lot like The Martian meets ET? Why yes. And that is awesome.

Supreme Court Says Parents Can “Opt Out” Of Positively-Affirming LGBTQ+ Public School Lessons

I’ve been waiting for our own Kelly Jensen’s breakdown of the Mahmoud v. Taylor decision that dropped on Friday , and she did not disappoint. Through a strange quirk, I was walking by the actual Supreme Court building when the Friday decision-drop happened. This has no bearing on anything, but I felt like it was too bizarre a coincidence to omit). The key quote she pulls is as galling as you might expect: “very real threat of undermining the religious beliefs and practices the parents wish to instill.” And what is this very real threat? Affirming portrayals of LGBTQ+ folks in books. Because it gets in the way of their religion’s homophobia.

This is a mundus inversus reading of the old separation of church and state that I felt like I understood pretty well all the way back in 8th grade. Here’s Kelly on why it feels like that:

"It is important to understand that for the religious right, the Establishment Clause is interpreted differently than it is for the general population. Where most read the separation of church and state to mean that religious doctrine cannot be infused in government operations–i.e., public schools cannot require prayer–for the religious right, the Clause is interpreted the opposite. The state cannot impede on where or how their beliefs are applied–i.e., public schools cannot provide positively-affirming lessons on LGBTQ+ people because it counteracts their individual beliefs on the matter."

A disheartening, bend-back-the-arc-of-justice, moment that will not be undone anytime soon.