Robert A. Heinlein: Stranger in a Strange Land (2002)
English language
Published Nov. 11, 2002
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians, and explores his interaction with and eventual transformation of Terran culture. The title "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a direct quotation from the King James Bible (taken from Exodus 2:22). The working title for the book was "A Martian Named Smith", which was also the name of the screenplay started by a character at the end of the novel.Heinlein's widow Virginia arranged to have the original unedited manuscript published in 1991, three years after Heinlein's death. Critics disagree about which version is superior. Stranger in a Strange Land won the 1962 Hugo Award for Best Novel and became the first science fiction novel to …
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians, and explores his interaction with and eventual transformation of Terran culture. The title "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a direct quotation from the King James Bible (taken from Exodus 2:22). The working title for the book was "A Martian Named Smith", which was also the name of the screenplay started by a character at the end of the novel.Heinlein's widow Virginia arranged to have the original unedited manuscript published in 1991, three years after Heinlein's death. Critics disagree about which version is superior. Stranger in a Strange Land won the 1962 Hugo Award for Best Novel and became the first science fiction novel to enter The New York Times Book Review's best-seller list. In 2012, the Library of Congress named it one of 88 "Books that Shaped America".
This did not age well. Not a bad book, but it was better if I was a bit more racist and a lot more sexist.
After hearing about how controversial Stranger in a Strange Land was when it was published, I had to read it. I really enjoyed it. Reading other reviews, I realize that there are a lot of hugely problematic gender issues on the book, some of which I noticed and some of which I seem to have skimmed over. That said, I still found it fascinating, enjoyable, and a really good book. I feel that Heinlein really had something when Mike talks about grokking why humans laugh. It continues to strike me as particularly profound the insight that humans laugh to deal with the painful and frightening.
Summary: problematic? Yes. Also a really interesting book, well worth reading.
