From the Bookshelf of Not Quite A Topless Robot Book Club…

Stranger in a Strange Land

Robert A. Heinlein,

James Warhola (Illustrator)

Start date: October 16, 2012

Finish date: November 17, 2012

Discussion: General

Discussion leader: Bri

Why we're reading this: It was the Chosen One.
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Showing 2 of 11 topics — 76 comments total

General

Wishful Drinking - Official Discussion Thread
By Bri , Wielder of Trolljnir · 6 posts · 21 views

last updated Mar 13, 2013 06:42AM

The Hobbit - Official Discussion Thread
By Bri , Wielder of Trolljnir · 7 posts · 18 views

last updated Dec 30, 2012 12:37PM

What Members Thought

Nov 23, 2012 Amanda Hamilton rated it it was ok

He's a star man, waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'll blow our mind

Nnnneh, I don't know. I did think the idea was interesting, the fact that the titular 'Stranger' (Michael Valentine Smith) is some kind of anomaly: a tabula rasa, almost completely innocent and pure and empty of human knowledge

BUT (and this is a big but) the book ends up disappearing up its own butt with this. Once that little concept was spelled out for me, I was all on board for a philosophical e He's a star man, waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'll blow our mind

Nnnneh, I don't know. I did think the idea was interesting, the fact that the titular 'Stranger' (Michael Valentine Smith) is some kind of anomaly: a tabula rasa, almost completely innocent and pure and empty of human knowledge

BUT (and this is a big but) the book ends up disappearing up its own butt with this. Once that little concept was spelled out for me, I was all on board for a philosophical examination of this almost god-like Michael and corruption of innocence with knowledge and other human vices but there are only two particular vices the book seems really interested in: sex and religion and that's...understandable. Looking up Heinlein's Wiki and reading his opinions on sexuality, the message of free-love (having been published in 1961, years before the concept of free-love related to hippies) makes sense though there's this undercurrent of regressive sexism and misogyny that I was finding it really hard to take. The kind where the guy goes "Shut up honey! Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!" and then turns to his best guy pal with a pipe in his mouth to say "PFFT! Ditzy broads, amirite?!"

You...can kind of guess how I feel about *that* attitude, especially with a concept of free-love that's more about having as many women as possible than gender equality, subverting monogamy just to have more PYTs. OTOH, it was 1961 and the concept of feminism wasn't even a thing that had a name yet so I shouldn't get too mad.

However, once this shift happens in the book, it goes very by the numbers with its Man Achieves God-Like Status and Then Is Brought Low By His Human Followers character arc. (see also "Tommy" by the Who) If there are any deviations from this, its a very glib remark on sexuality or the hypocrisy of religion. The latter I personally could do more with (because Heiney just kind of says the same thing over and over again about women like the taunts in a fighting game) in the sense that Michael is essentially Superman: a superpowered hunk who is thirsty for knowledge and a pure spirit in a world of imperfect stupid and fallible people. Like I said with the story arc, its a bit predictable (especially since its an old book and who knows how many properties ripped it off over the years?) but that didn't mean I didn't want to kind of see it through to the end. The message that if we had somebody perfect and good in our midst that we'd fuck up somehow because we're human is a fundamental message that I personally think is interesting besides establishing that our Perfect Man is a completely hetero and thinks our silly human concepts of sexuality are hypocritical and we should just LOVE EACH OTHER (with our compatible genitalia) and like UGH JUST STOP I GET IT.

fuck this book photo tumblr_l2r95zK9fb1qbiaepo1_250.gif

That's what makes it hard. The idea is interesting, the (in fairness, completely common for its time) sexism/misogyny I could have done without. This kinda sucks because I have a couple more Heinlein books and now I'm wondering "Are ALL of 'em like this?" I'm reaching my Stephen King level of saturation too like ARGH SOMETHING NEW PLZ
...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: being-human, canon, future-history, mars

Read this book rhapsodically and repeatedly as a teenager. One of the first books I grokked was an allegory. Michael Valentine Smith, our dead and risen savior. Did not age so well, but it's part of a rich tapestry. ...more

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May 29, 2012 Bri rated it liked it

Dec 01, 2012 Kristia marked it as to-read

Jun 03, 2012 William rated it it was amazing

Jan 10, 2013 Drea O'dare added it

Shelves: read-bloody-awful

Jun 20, 2015 Elizabeth rated it it was ok

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