#9 The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Shevek is a talented physicist from Anarres, a moon which orbits the planet of Urras. When Shevek travels from his home to Urras, he
makes history by being the first “man from the moon” to visit Urras. Shevek, who has lived in a society where everyone is considered equal, struggles to adapt to his new life, where the wealthy possess immense wealth, and the poor struggle to survive.
The Dispossessed is the February selection for Dreams and Speculation's Women of Science Fiction Book Club. It is certainly not a quick read. In fact I struggled with it a bit at first. Once I got into it, I found myself engrossed in Shevek's story. Although I naturally read fast, I made my way through The Dispossessed very slowly, as I often had to stop and think about the concepts and events in the book that. In fact, I'm still thinking about them. Reading The Dispossessed has changed a lot of my thoughts about anarchy, as well as reinforced my beliefs about the dangers of an over-consumerist lifestyle. Although few people would volunteer for the minimal lifestyle on Anarres, there is some truth in their belief that if you put too much emphasis on your material possessions, you eventually become possessed by them.
Shevek is certainly an interesting protagonist. I think under the pen of a lesser writer, he still would have been interesting, but less easy to empathize with (seriously, what do I have in common with a genius physicist?). Shevek's experiences on Anarres should resonate somewhat with those who have ever felt like an outsider, especially I suspect, to those who have spent significant time in a foreign country. The chapters of The Dispossessed alternate between the present (Shevek's experiences on Urras) and the past (Shevek's history on Anarres, starting from infancy). This gives the reader a good view of both life on Anarres and Urras. It also made me think about the meaning behind the books subtitle “An Ambigious Utopia,” the most important word here being “ambiguous,” To some, the life of luxury or Urras may seen like the Utopia, but the dramatic inequality between the sexes and the classes (as well as the “crush those weaker than you” standpoint that many of the characters hold), squashes that idea early on. Life on Anarres, with it's emphasis on brotherhood, morality, and equality may appear to be more paradise-like, despite the fact that the moon just barely has enough resources to support it's inhabitants. Of course, we end up learning that life on Anarres is imperfect as well.
The Dispossessed is a meaty sci-fi book with a big emphasis on politics. As Shevek is a physicist, there is some hard science as well, some which was a little over my head. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most about this book was the fact that it was so ambiguous. Le Guin raises a lot of interesting questions, but leaves the answers up to the readers. I'm very glad this book was selected for the Women of Science Fiction Bookclub.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 387 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Similar Books: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein ( my review). Oh boy is this book similar. To a lesser extent, Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card ( my review)
Other books I've read by this author: A Wizard of Earthsea ( my review), The Tombs of Atuan ( my review), The Farthest Shore ( my review)
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
makes history by being the first “man from the moon” to visit Urras. Shevek, who has lived in a society where everyone is considered equal, struggles to adapt to his new life, where the wealthy possess immense wealth, and the poor struggle to survive.
The Dispossessed is the February selection for Dreams and Speculation's Women of Science Fiction Book Club. It is certainly not a quick read. In fact I struggled with it a bit at first. Once I got into it, I found myself engrossed in Shevek's story. Although I naturally read fast, I made my way through The Dispossessed very slowly, as I often had to stop and think about the concepts and events in the book that. In fact, I'm still thinking about them. Reading The Dispossessed has changed a lot of my thoughts about anarchy, as well as reinforced my beliefs about the dangers of an over-consumerist lifestyle. Although few people would volunteer for the minimal lifestyle on Anarres, there is some truth in their belief that if you put too much emphasis on your material possessions, you eventually become possessed by them.
Shevek is certainly an interesting protagonist. I think under the pen of a lesser writer, he still would have been interesting, but less easy to empathize with (seriously, what do I have in common with a genius physicist?). Shevek's experiences on Anarres should resonate somewhat with those who have ever felt like an outsider, especially I suspect, to those who have spent significant time in a foreign country. The chapters of The Dispossessed alternate between the present (Shevek's experiences on Urras) and the past (Shevek's history on Anarres, starting from infancy). This gives the reader a good view of both life on Anarres and Urras. It also made me think about the meaning behind the books subtitle “An Ambigious Utopia,” the most important word here being “ambiguous,” To some, the life of luxury or Urras may seen like the Utopia, but the dramatic inequality between the sexes and the classes (as well as the “crush those weaker than you” standpoint that many of the characters hold), squashes that idea early on. Life on Anarres, with it's emphasis on brotherhood, morality, and equality may appear to be more paradise-like, despite the fact that the moon just barely has enough resources to support it's inhabitants. Of course, we end up learning that life on Anarres is imperfect as well.
The Dispossessed is a meaty sci-fi book with a big emphasis on politics. As Shevek is a physicist, there is some hard science as well, some which was a little over my head. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most about this book was the fact that it was so ambiguous. Le Guin raises a lot of interesting questions, but leaves the answers up to the readers. I'm very glad this book was selected for the Women of Science Fiction Bookclub.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 387 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Similar Books: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein ( my review). Oh boy is this book similar. To a lesser extent, Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card ( my review)
Other books I've read by this author: A Wizard of Earthsea ( my review), The Tombs of Atuan ( my review), The Farthest Shore ( my review)
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads