Have you ever bombed a test? Tripped in front of your crush? Blurted something stupid out at work? Yeah, we thought so. Us, too—and every time we epically blunder, we totally fantasize about being able to travel back in time for a do-over.

But bad outfits, uncontrollable farts, and other embarrassing moments aside, what if we could go back in time and fix the planet? Or if the planet's not your bag, how about save a president from assassination? The characters in Timescape, Gregory Benford's beast of a sci-fi book, attempt to do the former, and accidentally do the latter. In Timescape, Jackie O. stays Jackie K. because JFK doesn't die, all because some scientists in 1998 try to communicate with some scientists in 1962, all in the name of saving the planet from certain ecological doom.

Benford's novel immediately became a darling for the literary mainstream and science fiction genres alike when it was published in 1980. Sci-fi fans admire Benford's realistic portrayal of the work scientists undergo to make their life-changing discoveries, both in the lab and on the theoretical front. Literature fans appreciate how Benford complicates the pursuit of scientific truth with characters who struggle with human drama such as commitment, family obligations, and dinner parties. Lots and lots of dinner parties.

Fitting its broad appeal, Timescape won the 1980 British Science Fiction Award and the 1981 Nebula and John W. Campbell Memorial awards. And later, it went on to be added to several best of science fiction lists, including famed editor David Pringle's Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels. People just can't seem to get over this book.

While no movie has been made, and Benford hasn't written a sequel, the novel stands just fine by itself, continuing to be a shining example of a time travel story done right. Seriously—when we read this book, it didn't humiliate itself even once.

Anyone who has done their time in a high school knows this scenario: You're in physics class, finally freestyling on that whole second law of thermodynamics jazz, when suddenly the bell rings, and you're whisked away to English class. Time to put those equations down; you've got to figure out just how a bildungsroman and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are related.

If you only went by school rules, you'd think that subjects like politics, science, and literature never influence each other. If you prefer beakers to bylaws, then get a master's in chemistry, and you'll never have to consider another Supreme Court case for all of your days. Likewise, study literary theory and you can finally rescue all those poor letters from their equation prisons and return them to books from whence they came.

But as you've probably figured out, life doesn't work out quite so neatly. Instead, the different disciplines we study in school tend to muddle and mix together pretty much the moment we leave the classroom. Enter Timescape.

Absent are the bug-eyed monsters and laser-gun toting scientists of so many other sci-fi experiences, and in their place, we have data and laboratories and cups of stale coffee. And along with these ordinary scientists and their ordinary accessories come real-world problems. Think: politics, communication, and personal relationships. It's like every part of high school rolled into one. So as much as this book is about science and sci-fi scenarios, it's also about navigating the hot mess that is life—a.k.a. when everything we study in school comes together.

In other words, as much as Timescape has plenty for sci-fi nerds to geek out over, it's also a book for anyone who ever plans on leaving the classroom. And last we checked, that's literally everyone.