Stranger in a Strange Land - Likewise Book Reviews

"what an odd book"

"Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because of our Earthly assumptions) as color means to a blind man."

"This book changed my life. It is my favorite book and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone."

"Painful to read. The misogyny was bad, not just because it was written in the 60s. It was infuriatingly bad. Even if the point was to space a mirror to society and show how terrible we treat women, it was far too much and completely ruined the experience. Do not recommend."

"One of the handful of books that most influenced my word view. Grokk on water brothers!"

"First off, the only thing I really knew about this book was that it was mentioned in Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", so that is to say, I didn't really know anything. I was even surprised to discover that it was sci-fi when my sci-fi/fantasy book club was discussing possible selections. It is indeed sci-fi, but more than that, it is 60s, but I was only able to really get that after I switched from the paperback to the audio book. I liked it better as audio, but I still only liked the parts Jubal was in - didn't really care for any of the other characters.<br/>"

"Liked the outsiders view of human civilization, and the humor too."

"A monumental achievement of (science) fiction - a satirical yet compassionate meditation on human relationships - love, religion, sex, jealousy, intimacy, language, self-interest, innocence, and duplicity. I love reading great post-WWII / pre-Internet sci-fi - the Buckminster-Fuller-esque spirit of techno-utopianism and the radical visions of a better society always inspires. <br/><br/>Heinlein's masterpiece was full of surprises for me. I had barely heard of the guy before. He must have been big before though because I kept finding his name on lists with Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov. This book certainly corrected my ignorance - Heinlein is legit. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a refreshing bit of sci-fi because there's hardly any discussion of technology, Heinlein instead opts to use sci-fi as a lens through which to tackle big ideas about human relationships and society. The story and characters are compelling on their own merits without the aid of fancy techno-props.<br/><br/>Heinlein's dry humor is fantastic too. He incisively observes and comments on the base and self-interested nature of both high and low individuals in our society. His bit on the Fosterites in particular is great - and apparently influential. I couldn't help but notice echoes of Archangels Foster and Digby in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's "Good Omens".<br/><br/>I had heard of the word "grok" before, but hadn't realized that Heinlein coined the term and that this book introduced the concept into our language. The idea of "grokking" plays a central role in the narrative and some reviewers have gone so far as to call the entire book a prolonged definition of the concept.<br/><br/>Share water and grok closer my brothers!<br/><br/>Review cross-posted from <a href="http://books.max-nova.com/stranger-in-a-strange-land/">http://books.max-nova.com/stranger-in-a-strange-land/</a>"

"My first DNF of the year. I really tried with this one as it's one of the original Sci-fi stories, but all the characters seemed very 1 dimensional and the dialogue style really grated on me. Any of the dialogue acted as if it was a Dick Tracy novel and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe one day I'll try again."

"weird!"

"I can see what people like this book... but it's not even that good. It has some interesting things that I've never seen in another book, and there are certainly some interesting characters/decent writing.<br/>But I gave up. It just gets worse and worse, and there isn't really much merit. I listened to more than half, but I don't think I will finish."

"I read this in high school, & even though I didn't fully "grok" what was going on, the drama still managed to make it all the way through!"

"It switched gears about 2/3 into the book...I loved it up until then. I loved the character until he turned into the crazed religious leader...After that, it was just a race to finish the book."

"Actual rating is 3.5. I cannot believe that I, of all people, am about to say this, but there was way too much dialogue in this book that was too expositional. It made me feel like the author thought I needed my hand held through the journey."

"The most philosophical of SF I've ever read."