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cmarcatili 's review for:
Stranger in a Strange Land
by Robert A. Heinlein
DID NOT FINISH
I was drawn in by the promise of a satirical critique of religion but by the time I put it down I felt like I was the one Heinlein was poking fun at.
This is probably one of those books that, if you read as a teenager, might hold some place in your heart as an insightful challenge to the status quo. Right when you're coming to understand your own sexuality, a book preaching sexual openness might seem profound.
Reading for the first time as an adult, the Hugh Hefner brand 'progressiveness' is not nearly enough to maintain credibility as a thought-provoking text or, for that matter, even much interest. Its gender politics are cringe-worthy throughout (at best) and are at times outright offensive. Anti-gay homophobia is also just plain offensive (lesbians are, of course, permissible in the Hugh Hefner world Heinlein has gifted us).
In short, more relevant as a study of its times than an important contribution to science fiction, literature, or much else for that matter.
This is probably one of those books that, if you read as a teenager, might hold some place in your heart as an insightful challenge to the status quo. Right when you're coming to understand your own sexuality, a book preaching sexual openness might seem profound.
Reading for the first time as an adult, the Hugh Hefner brand 'progressiveness' is not nearly enough to maintain credibility as a thought-provoking text or, for that matter, even much interest. Its gender politics are cringe-worthy throughout (at best) and are at times outright offensive. Anti-gay homophobia is also just plain offensive (lesbians are, of course, permissible in the Hugh Hefner world Heinlein has gifted us).
In short, more relevant as a study of its times than an important contribution to science fiction, literature, or much else for that matter.