The 1960s were a decade of burgeoning sexuality and changing values. The Stepford wives of the ’50s gave way to bra-burning hippies as liberation took hold of all aspects of life. This is the backdrop for the debut of Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. The novel is the story of Valentine Michael Smith, surprise human survivor of the first manned mission to Mars, born after the crew left Earth.
Michael, raised by Martians, is brought “home” where he is confronted with our completely alien culture. Upon arrival, he is recognized as the heir to a magnificent fortune, and due to legal precedent is also seen as the sole owner of Mars. The government “keeps him safe” in a restricted-access hospital room while a decision is reached as to what to do about the unexpected heir.
Plucky nurse Jill Boardman ignores orders for women to stay away from Mike’s bed and allows her curiosity to get the better of her. Before she knows it, she’s become Mike’s “water brother” and is committed to helping him navigate the pitfalls of modern society.
In the house of the irascible lawyer, author, and jack-of-all-trades Jubal Harshaw, Mike and Jill find a sanctuary. Jubal and his eclectic household prove to be just the help Mike needs to acclimate himself to the customs and cultures of Earth.
The young man proves to be a quick learner, and soon is challenging Jubal’s philosophies and maneuvering his Martian-taught morals into everyday Earth life. This book challenges social standards and it’s easy to see why it is considered a zeitgeist. The work garnered Heinlein a well-deserved 1962 Hugo Award (a yearly Science Fiction Novel contest) and even a line in Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” in 1989.
Some of the concepts may challenge readers’ thoughts on sex, religion, and even humanity as a whole, so this is definitely a book for those with open minds. Be prepared to be offended at least once in the course of reading. The devout may take especial offense at the depictions of religion in this novel.
The writing is superb, with well-formed ideas expressed eloquently and witty dialogue. While this reviewer was somewhat unhappy with Heinlein’s heavy-handed and pedantic approach to solving society’s evils, this style did not detract from the novel’s overall appeal.
Stranger in a Strange Land was a breakthrough for its time and continues to be an influential novel today. It’s a classic and should be on every respectable geek’s reading list, if only to be exposed to the idea of “grokking.” Just be sure to take it with a grain of salt.
