An Asperger in a 'normal' world.

books:


	• Stranger in a Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein Ace Trade, 1991 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 539 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Classic

There aren't really that many books that could be described as life-altering, but for me this is definitely one of them. I first read this book when I was in high school, over twenty-five years ago, and returned to it often. Recently I listened to it on an unabridged book tape and was caught up in the magic of Heinlein's prose again.

With this story Heinlein takes long, probing looks at religion and custom, at social mores and human values. It is a book that requires thought and reflection. It is a book that is made to help people open their minds and their hearts--to see that different is not necessarily evil. At the same time it is a strong narrative with well written characters. There are parts that are laugh-out-loud funny and other parts that may cause tears.

I can hardly wait for my own daughter to get old enough so I can introduce this book to her. Even though it is sometimes an uncomfortable ride, it is definitely a ride worth taking.

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An Asperger in a 'normal' world.

Heinlein himself certainly had Asperger Syndrome (though he may never have heard the term) and wrote this wonderful soft-science-fiction novel to describe how it feels to be different from those around you. His book is certainly open to criticism from feminists, religious fundamentalists, and defenders of orthodoxy in general, but having aspergers myself, I can say that this is just what it feels like. The novel describes institutions in general as hostile, because they tend to look that way to us 'aspies'.

One measure of the book is revealed by many of the other reviews, which say in effect "This book offended many in 1961, which proves what squares they were then. It also offends me, which proves how wrong Heinlein was." To me, this just shows how superficially society has changed in the last forty years, and how effective Heinlein was at challenging our orthodoxies.

There is an aspergers website called wrongplanet, expressing the idea that we 'aspies' often feel we are in totally unfamiliar situations. Did the people who built the website know that Heinlein had the same idea 50 years ago?

In this story, the 'hero' is human, but was born on Mars and raised by Martians, then brought to Earth as an adult. Understanding nothing of human habits and customs, he flounders around until he gradually understands the world - even why people laugh. Once he conciously understands what ordinary people only know subconciously, he feels he can put the understanding to wider use. I often have this feeling too.

Not only is this book a wonderful read, but it is also as good a way as any for a 'normal' person to gain some insight into the frightening, bewildering, but ultimately wonderful world we aspies live in.

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Fantastic Story

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend and was pleasantly surprised to find it a wonderful book. Although Heinlein, like Asimov, Bradbury, Adams, etc. gets overplayed and commonly recommended, the reason is their consistently high quality writing.

Heinlein's view of humanity is singularly shown in this novel, following Smith's change from alien to human to religious icon to martyr. The best character is Smith's crotchety mentor, Jubal Harshaw, who through his very existence and character subtley directs the story. If you want a thoughtful, entertaining novel, this one will make you ponder and, above all else, laugh at humanity's strengths and foibles.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

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