Should Young Bill Young Keep
Reading This Book?
If you read this blog from time to time, you know how much I love science fiction. There’s a dirty little secret I’ve been keeping that I’m ready to reveal: I’ve never read perhaps the most famous science fiction novel ever written: Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.
I’ve owned it for some time, but it wasn’t until I was discussing great works of science fiction with a friend that I was really moved to pick it up and crack the cover.
So now I’ve started the book (the original uncut version depicted at left) and I’m on page 231, and I’m… absolutely appalled!
It’s not the Sci-Fi or suspense elements that upset me. The story elements dealing with a human raised by Martians, the glimpse into the Martian world, the unbelievable powers of young Valentine Michael Smith, and the political intrigue surrounding the foundling, are all fascinating. No, it’s the fact that this is one of the most sexist books I have ever had the displeasure of discovering.
Now, I know this was published in 1961 (you just have to watch Mad Men to discover, or remind yourself in my case, what it was like back then), and I expect a book to be a reflection of its time, but take a look at this quote from the novel:
He knew that such twisting of the tiger’s tail was dangerous, for he understood the psychopathology of great power as thoroughly as Jill Boardman lacked knowledge of it…”
“He” is news reporter Ben Claxton. Jill is his love interest, and she’s a nurse. So… a news reporter knows more about psychopathology blah blah blah than a nurse who probably had a course that covered psychopathology blah blah blah. The reason Ben knows more, and the reason all of the male characters are written as superior to the female characters is because of ONE BIG REASON: Men are better than women. Sorry, but this misogynistic attitude seems to soak every page of this so-called classic.
Surely, there’s a reason for this. Surely, the author must be setting us up for some kind of stunning social commentary. Is there a point to the fact that Martian-born Valentine Smith is the only character who does not look down on women? Will he reveal that men and women are of the same species, shocking the Earthlings? Is there a point to any of this? Have I wasted my time?
HELP! Should Young Bill Young keep reading this book?
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Comments
I think you can safely put it down and read something else. I’ve read it and it hasn’t aged well–Heinlein is kind of a preachy author, and it gets more so as it goes on. Not the best example of the genre, and I’m told–I haven’t read any of his other work–not the best example of Heinlein. I didn’t think it was particularly well-written. I think people remember it fondly because it captured some of the 60′s zeitgeist when it came out–all that grokking and free love. I’d read the summary on Wikipedia and skip it. I recommend scifi by Connie Willis and Kage Baker.
To Read or Not to Read? Vote Results to Date!!
Lee and Beth, thanks so much for your comments. (And, Beth, I’m a big Connie Willis fan, and I’ve read Kage Baker’s company novels!)
There was also quite a bit of activity on this question on my Facebook page.
Here’s the tally:
Put the Book Down: 2 (Lee and Beth)
Don’t Read the Uncut version: 1 (Facebook friend Janet)
Keep Reading the Book: 3 (FB friends Karl, David and Ian)
You see for yourselves Lee’s and Beth’s comments, but here’s more info from my Facebook Friends:
Karl says the positives of Stranger in a Strange Land outweigh the negatives, and I should go ahead and finish reading it. (He actually prefers Heinlein’s Job: A Comedy of Errors to Stranger.)
Likewise, Ian says read the book, and reveals that the women play a bigger role in the latter part of the novel.
David says read it “once.” He also reveals that he can’t really read Heinlein any more without wanting to hurl the book across the room. (Our FB conversation then turned into a Frank Herbert appreciation thread!)
Janet says it’s probably a mistake to read the uncut version, because “Heinlein really needed editing.” I agree, especially when it comes to character Jubal Harshaw’s pontifications!
I still don’t know what I’m gonna do with this sucker. I may pick it up again and give it another chance. Or it may end up in my box of books to contribute to the Metro Friends book sale. I’ll be sure to let you know what I ultimately decide.
In the meantime, folks, thanks so much for the discussion. When it comes to this book, I suspect talking about it is more enjoyable than reading it!
Just in case you’re wondering, I never did pick this book back up. I can’t say I feel like I missed anything. Sorry, Mr. Heinlein, wherever your are.
put the book down…and walk away and don’t look back