My dear friend F Paul [I still love you, Paul, even though another libertarian not only received the next RJ book before me, he also reviewed it! ;-) ] twigged me to the following site a while ago, but for some mysterious reason lost to mankind forever, I didn't mention it here. And again, for some mysterious reason I decided to revisit the site today, and see that today is Anniversary Number 98.
Why, of Robert A Heinlein's birth, of course. And the site I'm referring to is Heinlein Centennial, gearing up for a celebration of the grand master's hundredth birthday in Kansas City. I'm hoping/planning to be there. You?
To celebrate the anniversary of his birth today, I'll share some Heinlein ramblings. You're invited to play along; please let us know where your thoughts are recorded by putting your link in a comment.
I'd read precious little scifi prior to my first Heinlein book ... some Asimov (in the robot series, and it fairly quickly struck me as boring and redundant since much of it revolved around conflicts with the three laws) ... The Mote in God's Eye, which was more interesting than the Asimov but did not pique my interest in the genre. I believe it was reading some of LeGuin's scifi that led me to Heinlein.
The first Heinlein I read was Stranger in a Strange Land -- the unabridged version. It was all good until the church got going; that disturbed me for some reason. (Note: I was not a libertarian at the time I picked up this book. It doubtless sped my awakening, however.) Even though I've read and re-read other Heinlein novels, I've not picked this one up again. Maybe one day I will.
My favorite Heinlein character is Dora (both). Why? "EF or FF?" "Both!" That and her indomitable, exuberant (yet touchingly gracious at times) spirit -- what a great role model for a woman. (I failed to grok what got so many feminists up in arms over Heinlein's female characters ... that's not to say that I thought his characterizations of women enjoying pregnancy weren't far-fetched -- until I did exactly that with both my pregnancies. So I guess I've a little of the Heinlein heroine in me after all.)
Favorite book? Eep, that's a toughie ... Even though I've re-read Time Enough for Love countless times, it's a tossup between it and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Predictable, I know ...
Several fiction authors have gotten me to think about things in new or different ways; I credit them with helping me be a little smarter, a little more precise in my thinking. Heinlein is one of a select few whom I credit with helping me be a better human.
Two Things Worth Celebrating
Garry Reed says:
Heinlein had me confused for years. How could I possibly love "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" which was "obviously" ultra right wing conservative while I also loved "Stranger in a Strange Land" which was "obviously" left wing counter culture radical? What was wrong with me? Only after I discovered libertarianism did I realize in hindsight that there should have been no conflict as the books were neither right nor left -- both were simply libertarian. (I too didn't like the religion in "Stranger" since, for as far back as I can remember as a child, I always thought religion was odd or unnatural or just plain silly. I also found the various "group family" concepts in "Moon" distasteful to my conservative side. So I guess I finally got what I always wanted, married to one love of my life with no religion.)
John DeWitt says:
Hey, Sunni,
Have you read Door Into Summer? My all-time favorite Heinlein, and often overlooked.
Personally I didn't care too much for Stranger, but that's just me.
Sunni says:
Garry, nice to know it wasn't just me.
John, yes, I have read Door into Summer, but it was during a period when I was slurping down loads of scifi; details of most of the books I read during that time are lost. :(
Jac says:
Dora r0x0rs! :D (I actually have a friend who named his little girl Dora. He says he's going to teach her to swear in Arabic once she learns to talk :crazy: )
Glory Road is probably my favorite. Or Citizen of the Galaxy. Or... :hehe:
Garry Reed says:
This gets bad, doesn't it? I too read Door Into Summer but can't remember it for the same reasons Sunni said. I remember being enthralled by Citizen of the Galaxy, and Glory Road was an absolute masterpiece of satire because it was a send-up of the then current swords-and-sorcery fad which I hated. Don't get (keep?) me going!
Shaun Saunders says:
Hey Sunni, we've got something else in common - a fondness for RAH's literature. yes, I can understand your pref for Dora...my favourite heinline is 'The man Who Sold the moon' - another future that never came to be, unfortunately. Couldn't get into Stranger, liked Door into Summer, and read Glory Road and Farnham's Freehold recently. (and Time enough for love, too). I've been thinking about the big 100 birthday - maybe we'll get to meet in person soon. Cheers, Shaun.