Shevek, a physicist conducting research on the relativity of time between the worlds of Hikaye Uras (the capitalists) and Anarres (the anarchists). Anarres is a moon, while Uras is our Earth.

On Anarres, there is no state, no one has property rights, work is done jointly according to needs, and resources are equally distributed among all. Gender identities are not distinct, and there are no religions.

Uras, on the other hand, is based on a class system. While the state holds all possibilities by force, the working class is not even visible. For example, when Shevek visits Uras and goes to the market square, he asks, "With so many clothes and abundance of goods, there are only sellers and buyers. But where are the producers?" After these realizations, he also begins to lose his balance.

As we have been taught, time always flows forward. However, our famous physicist Shevek asks, what if it is not so? Without going into details to avoid spoilers, I really liked it. The physics topics explained in simple language are not boring.

Although the narration was not smooth at the beginning and I had some difficulties, as the story developed towards the end and there were things that made me want to read, I read it with pleasure. I also want to add a paragraph that I really liked:

Something dark rotated in Shevek's mind, and everything went dark. His mouth was dry.
He finished the glass that the waiter had filled a moment ago.
"I don't know," he said; his tongue was half-paralyzed. "No. It's not wonderful. It's an ugly world. This world is not like that. Anarres consists only of dust and dry mountains. Everything is pale, everything is arid. The people are not beautiful either. They all have big hands and feet, like mine and the waiter here. But they don't have big bellies. They get very dirty and bathe together, and no one does that here. The cities are very small and dull, and it's boring. There are no palaces at all. Life is boring, and people work a lot. You can't always get what you want, and sometimes not even what you need, because there isn't enough. You people of Uras have everything in abundance. There is enough air, enough rain, grass, oceans, food,
music, buildings, factories, machines, books, clothes, history. You are rich, you have. We are poor, we don't have. You have, we don't. Everything here is very beautiful.
Only the faces are not beautiful. On Anarres, nothing is beautiful except the faces. The other faces, the male and female faces. We don't have anything else but them, we don't have anything else but each other. Here you see the jewels, there you see the eyes. In the eyes, you also see the dignity, the dignity of the human soul. Because our men and women are free, they are free because they don't own anything. You owners are owners. You are all
in prison. Everyone is alone, alone with the pile he has. You are living in prison, you are dying in prison. The only thing I can see in your eyes is this - a wall, a wall!"

It's truly strange to me that, despite being completely drunk, I can still type just as well as usual.

I might stumble and run into walls while trying to walk down the hall, but I can still compose a review without much difficulty.

Anyway, I'm here today to discuss The Dispossessed. It's a book by Ursula K Le Guin, who is really cool.

If it hadn't taken me about four months to read this book, I probably would have given it five stars.

Unfortunately, it took me almost a whole semester to read the darn thing because I've been extremely busy.

I'll be back, I have to pee.

Okay, I'm back. Don't you hate it when you pee but you've had so much to drink that you still kind of feel like you have to pee? I really hate that.

So, this book is the second one I've read by Le Guin, and I would have given it five stars if it hadn't taken me so long to read.

But as it is, I have to give it four.

This is a story about a man who was born on an anarchist planet and goes to the capitalistic planet that his people originally broke away from.

He's trying to do his physics there because he couldn't communicate it with other planets from the anarchist planet he was from.

His planet, aside from being anarchist, is rather dull. It's a barren wasteland, similar to Arizona.

Except Arizona has cacti, and I don't think Urras does. If it does, they aren't mentioned.

Joel was expecting a lot of Urras jokes, but I don't have any. Sorry to disappoint you, Joel.

I'm going to refill my wine glass. Be right back.

The Left Hand of Darkness dealt with some fascinating themes about gender and really blew my mind.

I mean, it really made me aware of how much gender influences how I think about people.

Before I ask myself, "Is this person an old person or not?" I ask myself, "Is this a man or a woman?"

Before anything else, we think about gender.

This book does something completely different from that, but equally interesting.

The major theme here is whether a society can be successful if it's anarchy.

But it's more than just that.

Through what we see of Urras, we realize that anarchy isn't necessarily going to save the day.

Even in this world where money isn't a factor and people aren't motivated by materialistic ideals, you still find people who are motivated by power and prestige.

These can become the same kind of selfish force as money and materialism.

So, the book seems to be saying that even anarchy is only an improvement over a capitalistic society where people are suffering and prejudicial.

I'm really at a loss. I mean, plenty of philosophies have great ideals, but you still have people with selfish, private motives, no matter what the political system is.

It's an instinctual part of what it means to be human.

It's the reptilian part of the brain, so whatever political system we establish, we're going to be struggling against our own instincts.

Some of us will be able to rise above our baser instincts, and others among us, like Caris, who is a jerk, won't be able to.

It's unfortunate, but that's the reality of the human condition.

I don't know if I'm still talking about the book. I should be drinking more water if I don't want to have a hangover tomorrow.

It's really cool to see the way Ursula portrays her conception of an anarchist society, because it's really hard to visualize.

My nose is kind of numb.

I definitely need to reread this one when I have time to read a book without dragging out the process for months, because, even if I were sober, I'd have a hard time reviewing this stuff.

It's a shame you don't know ahead of time, and you can't decide to read mediocre books when you don't have enough time, and save the really good books for long weekends or times when you're ready for them.

Why did I decide to review THIS book drunk? This book is philosophical as hell, and I can't talk about politics and philosophy when I can barely find the f key.

Oh, and before I forget, I should mention that the edition I have of this book really sucked.

Typos like you wouldn't believe.

The cover looked like it was produced by an automatic sci-fi cover machine, and the blurb on the back cover actually got details about the book wrong.

Thank you, Harper Collins, for being so bad.

This didn't do much to detract from the book's excellence, however.

Anyway, I may add to this when I'm sober enough to figure out what I've left out.

I always try to finish on a strong note, and I can't think of anything else to say about this book, so I just want to tell all of you that I love this website.

You make this website amazing, and I can't tell you how cool it is that we all have a place to talk about books with each other, other than in real life.

My nose is regaining its sensation, and I'm trying to drink more water, so I hopefully won't be hung over.

I hope this review isn't as incoherent as I suspect it is.

In the two books that I have read by Ursula Le Guin, the same thing has happened to me. I find the idea brilliant but not the execution.

This is a novel with a very attractive idea that gives a lot to think about but at times it becomes boring and in many moments it tempts you to skip entire paragraphs.

But as I say, the premise is very interesting. Two worlds, two very different planets from each other, each with its pros and cons. It is a very political and philosophical novel. But it is worth stopping to think about the idea that the author presents to us.

By the way, I liked The Left Hand of Darkness more. I found it more enjoyable and imaginative. Still, I will continue with Le Guin.

I think her works have a lot to offer, even if the execution is not always perfect. There is always something new and thought-provoking to discover in her writing. I look forward to reading more of her books and seeing where her unique imagination takes me.

Loved it, genius.

Don't mind the edition, goodreads is drunk and has me stuck on this one. I don't know why I can't change it. Whatever.

So, this is my first Le Guin Sci fi, although I have read Earthsea, and I absolutely loved it. Easily my favorite Le Guin book so far.

I'm just going to lead with something. This book has details, and if your trade/education is in economics or physics you will likely read this and be like. Hey, those details aren't exactly right.

Obviously not ok. New theories of Physics, and entire economics systems would be absurdly complex. Making them completely accurate would require being a genius in both fields, and several lifetimes of work. The point is how they serve the story, theme, and characters. So I don't want to hear that this book sucks because it doesn't accurately display the absurd complexity that would be required to allocate resources on Anarres. I have a degree in economics, I am aware.

Ok, so why does this rule.

The Dispossessed for those who don't know is about a guy who lives on a small habitable, but slightly desolate moon of a much larger inhabitable planet, that each have small separate societies. We follow Shevek as he crosses the wall and goes from the small moon to the large planet. To a completely different culture, society, landscape, and way of thinking about the world.

Le Guin has 2 timelines going on, one going from Shevek's childhood until the start of the plot, and the other starting with him leaving his home planet. I was completely engaged in both his stories in both timelines.

The way Le Guin wrote the different cultures was genius. Even in chapter one I feel like I learned so much about Anarres, without actually being told anything about it, just because of his reaction to learning things about Urras (the other planet) and thinking about how he would adapt to it.

I also just really love the protagonist. He is a physicist, and again I love how the way he thinks about the world translates into the themes being explored in this novel.

I find this book hard to describe. It isn't action packed or anything, but I think it is just brilliant, and powerful. And I give it a 9.1/10. It makes you think deeply about different societies, cultures, and the human condition. The way the story unfolds, with the two timelines intersecting, keeps you on the edge of your seat. You become invested in Shevek's journey and his attempts to understand and bridge the gap between the two worlds. It's a thought-provoking and engaging read that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in science fiction or just a good story.

If you love to read science fiction novels that are intertwined with social and political depth, metaphor, and the utopia of modern civilization, where the reader is left to reflect once finished, this is a novel worth reading.

Le Guin juxtaposes two opposite realities, two twin worlds in another solar system set in the future, where one is supported by a capitalist civilization and the other is based on the idealistic vision of total sharing.

Through the eyes of the protagonist, we will explore the two realities with their pros and cons, leaving the conclusions to us.

This is a useful novel for reflecting on the limitations of the two opposing forms of society. Is it a critique of the modern world? Or perhaps a hope in the human capacity to live differently?

We can see that this novel presents a thought-provoking scenario that challenges our traditional观念 of society and economy. It makes us question whether the capitalist model is the only way forward or if there are other possibilities.

Le Guin's writing is engaging and descriptive, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the two worlds she has created. The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader hooked until the very end.

Overall, this is a must-read novel for anyone interested in science fiction, social and political issues, or simply a good story that makes you think.

There are certain books that, even with my untrained, unskilled, and inexperienced gaze, I can detect and affirm as true works of art, masterpieces in literature.

Other works, perhaps less skillfully penned or not as masterfully crafted, still manage to strike a chord within me. I can sense the vision and voice of the author as if we were kindred spirits, sharing a common thought. It is truly a rare occurrence when I can perceive that a book is not only a work of art but also touches me in a profound way, leaving an indelible mark on my soul and perhaps even altering the course of my life. I can look back and see that my path has been forever changed after reading such a book.

"The Dispossessed" by Ursula Le Guin is precisely such a work, a genuine masterpiece of literature, whether it be classified as science fiction or not. It truly touched the very core of my being. I cannot claim that it has transformed my life, but rather it has reaffirmed some deeply ingrained values and ideals that I hold dear. This book truly transcends its genre and stands alone as a remarkable work of art.

Science fiction often serves as an excellent vehicle for allegory, a means by which an artist can attach an idea or observation about our world to an imagination or fantasy. These ideas can only be grasped peripherally and can only be explained through metaphor and parable. Le Guin has accomplished the creation of a minimalistic, austere voice in "The Dispossessed," a voice crying out in the wilderness.

The writing is exquisitely beautiful, at times subtly brilliant and at others painfully clear. Some scenes were so powerful that they left me unable to continue reading, yet I was compelled, entranced, and beckoned to carry on. And yet, as the book drew to a close, I was filled with a sense of sadness.

******** 2017 Reread.

"Freedom is never very safe."

I have read over 1200 books in my lifetime and have designated 6 as my all-time favorites. "The Dispossessed" is one of them.

The beauty of revisiting a work of literature lies in the ability to notice greater detail the second time around. I was once again struck by Le Guin's beautiful prose and her carefully crafted, expressive style. This time, however, I paid more attention to the radical, revolutionary themes that she explored. And this is not a dystopian novel as we have become accustomed to in recent years, but rather an examination of a utopian model.

Anarres and Urras, twin planets in the Tau Ceti system, with Urras having been colonized by humans from Hain ages ago. Then there is Odo, a visionary who is imprisoned for her world-shattering ideas. Odo rejected the tenets of aristocracy, capitalism, and property altogether. She espoused an anarchistic ideology, envisioning a utopian society without laws, money, or property rights. Those who followed Odo left the paradise of Urras, with its fertile valleys and rich natural resources, for the harsh, dry mining colony on Anarres, which is like a moon to Urras.

Le Guin's story begins approximately 160 years later, with generations of the Odo revolution having grown up in this closed society. They have developed their own language, which has no concept of property rights, money, or many of the elements of our society that we take for granted. The planetary truce is maintained as a fragile economic alliance: The Anarres citizens produce mineral wealth in exchange for imported goods from Urras. There is one space port, outlined by a simple low wall. The Anarresans don't leave, and the people from Urras don't stay. The Anarres anarchist society is closed and fragile. The anarchists work together and toil for the common good, avoiding actions that would be considered "propertarian" or "egoist." It is a primitive collectivism without central authority.

Shevek, a brilliant physicist (and I think one of the great SF characters), risks everything to travel to Urras and share his theories on temporal physics with them. This theory will lead to the development of the ansible. Shevek experiences the vast differences between the two societies.

The socio-economic dialogue that fills much of this novel is both provocative and engaging. Le Guin, deeply affected by the turmoil of the Vietnam War, has crafted a brilliant story of revolution and practical utopia. The themes of revolution and idealism, contrasted against an established power structure, also made me think of Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" as well as the 1965 David Lean film starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. Le Guin portrays the Anarresans as a peaceful people, with only the barest of defenses against the powerful, truculent, and power-hungry Urras governments. The scene where Shevek marches with a crowd of disaffected Urras citizens is brutally reminiscent of a similar scene from Lean's "Zhivago."

Finally, and this is a rather superficial and trivial thought, but if I were to film this and choose a cast, I would have Viggo Mortenson play the role of Shevek. I would also include interludes of thoughtful quotes from Odo, and I would have Ursula K. Le Guin herself take on that role.

Simply brilliant.

"His hands were empty as they had always been."

**** 2021 reread –

"We have nothing but our freedom. We have nothing to give you but your own freedom. We have no law but the single principle of mutual aid between individuals. We have no government but the single principle of free association. We have no states, no nations, no presidents, no premiers, no chiefs, no generals, no bosses, no bankers, no landlords, no wages, no charity, no police, no soldiers, no wars. Nor do we have much else. We are sharers, not owners. We are not prosperous. None of us is rich. None of us is powerful. If it is Anarres you want, if it is the future you seek, then I tell you that you must come to it with empty hands. You must come to it alone, and naked, as the child comes into the world, into his future, without any past, without any property, wholly dependent on other people for his life. You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere."

This time, I focused on the philosophy of the Odonians who inhabit the harsh moon colony of Anarres. Odo, who lived and died two centuries before the story begins, was a political dissident who taught and espoused a theory of non-authoritarian communism that, in its expression, was anarchistic. There are no laws on Anarres; people work together out of an adherence to the Odonian principle of mutual aid. When Shevek visits Urras and observes the three different states, he sees that, although materially far more prosperous than poor Anarres, their lives are not as fulfilling.

"We don't leave Anarres, because we are Anarres. But are we kept here by force? What force—what laws, governments, police? None. Simply our own being, our nature as Odonians. It's your nature to be Tirin, and my nature to be Shevek, and our common nature to be Odonians, responsible to one another. And that responsibility is our freedom. To avoid it would be to lose our freedom. Would you really like to live in a society where you had no responsibility and no freedom, no choice, only the false option of obedience to the law, or disobedience followed by punishment? Would you really want to go live in a prison?"

This is a modern utopian narrative, but unlike other paradisial stories, Le Guin is careful to note both the good and the bad. As a Terran ambassador observes, the people on Urras have many blessings, and although they may not have the spiritual maturity of the Odonians, neither are they that badly off. Conversely, the anarchists on Anarres are free, but they have little else. Theirs is a poor, difficult life, and they are only able to maintain their fervor through their devotion to Odo, in a sense keeping the revolution alive. Also, Le Guin notes that, despite attempts to restrict any form of government, bureaucracy, or compulsion, some laws and restrictions inevitably creep into society.

I read that another favorite author, Theodore Sturgeon, wrote that "The Dispossessed" is "a beautifully written, beautifully composed book," saying that "it performs one of science fiction's prime functions, which is to create another kind of social system to see how it would work. Or if it would work."

In the past year, I had the wonderful experience of rediscovering the captivating genre of classical science fiction. After delving into the works of Stanislav Lem with "Solaris" and Olav Stapledon's "Last and First Men", I now find myself exploring the writings of Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018). I had never read anything by her before, but this particular work has been an instant success for me.

To be clear, in literary terms, it may not be considered a masterpiece. There are indeed some flaws in the story. The ending, in particular, is a bit disappointing. Most of the characters, with the exception of the protagonist Shevek, are only superficially portrayed, and their interactions lack depth. However, despite these shortcomings, I still give this novel 3.5 stars in my rather strict rating system. Why? Because Le Guin truly impressed me with the remarkable imaginative strength of the worlds she created and the profound social message she embedded within the story.

The two planets where the story takes place, Urras and Annares, are cleverly depicted. They are vastly different in their geographical circumstances, yet throughout history, they are closely connected. But it is above all the social focus that Le Guin gradually introduces and deepens. Here, the theme of freedom and power takes center stage. In which socio-political system can people best develop themselves? Or rather, which system presents the fewest obstacles to the individual's self-development? The official anarchism of Annares, which is actually a form of anarcho-syndicalism bordering on pure communism, turns out to be just as oppressive as the aggressive capitalism of the part of Urras where Shevek resides. The novel is completely immersed in the social debates that raged in the Western world at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. The message that remains is that every political and social order has its negative aspects for the individual, that power structures are always oppressive, and that elites primarily safeguard their own interests. This may sound simplistic, but Le Guin presents it in a compelling manner.

Another strong point of this novel is the way in which the author introduces the problem of temporality. The main character, Shevek, is a brilliant mathematician who is deeply focused on time and simultaneity. He is working on a General Theory of Temporality that aims to make it possible to traverse the universe in an instant. Although he does not succeed in this, and the (provisional) final conclusion of his research may be a bit underwhelming, throughout the novel, Le Guin introduces quite a few fundamental elements of the temporality problem as it still persists in contemporary physics. It is truly impressive how she has managed to incorporate this aspect into the story. I have a strong suspicion that I will be picking up more of Le Guin's work in the future.

4, maybe 4.5 stars. This classic SF novel truly had me completely engrossed. I was on a cross-country airplane flight from Washington DC to Utah, and yet, the story held my attention firmly.

It's an incredibly thought-provoking piece of SF. Set in the same universe as Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, it has an even stronger political inclination. Almost 200 years ago, a group of rebels fled a highly capitalistic society on the planet Urras to establish a more utopian government on the moon Annares. Now, a physicist named Shevek leaves his barren but mostly fair world to work with physicists on the neighboring planet. Life on Urras is far more pleasant and luxurious, but Shevek gradually discovers the dark side of that capitalistic society. The big question is, can he break free from the困境 he's found himself in?

The Dispossessed is one of the earlier examples of dual timeline storytelling in the SF genre. The chapters alternate between Shevek's life on Annares and his experiences on Urras with the "propertarians". It thoughtfully examines the best and worst aspects of these two political systems. While Le Guin's preference for the better society is clear, it's admirable how she realistically portrays how even good intentions can go wrong due to human weaknesses like selfishness, fear, and pride. Some may find this novel a bit slow-paced, but if you're interested in contrasting political and social systems, I highly recommend it!

Even though this novel is the fourth in the Hainish Cycle, it's actually the first chronologically. The reasons for this become clear later in the novel (and are a bit of a spoiler, so I won't discuss them here). :)

In "The Dispossessed", just as in "The Word for World Is Forest" where Le Guin dealt with the theme of colonialism, here she focused on the themes of capitalism, communism, and anarchism.

Shevek, a physicist from the planet Anarres, travels to Urras as part of a diplomatic effort. Anarres was colonized centuries ago by dissidents from Urras, followers of a doctrine created by a philosopher named Odo, who is presented as anarchist in the book, although in my opinion, it corresponds to the anarchism generated by the theoretical final stage of communism.

In Anarres, there is no private property, no greed for profit, the concept of family is very diffuse - the children are raised in community dormitories - there is full sexual freedom, no dictatorships or wars. In principle, it seems like a utopian society, but as the book progresses, we notice the cracks behind the facade (this is a great merit of Le Guin, because writers of utopias often present their societies as infallible, simply by ignoring within the story the flaws that could develop): it is a society that has largely abandoned technological progress, unable to undertake large infrastructure projects, which suppresses individual initiative.

Urras, on the other hand, is a clearly capitalist society, with all the virtues and defects that we know so well about capitalism: it has great technological development and material well-being, but also a large gap between rich and poor. The latter are exploited mercilessly and used as cannon fodder in wars.

Le Guin does not suggest that either society is superior to the other: she shows them with their virtues and defects. Beyond the fact that the society of Anarres could never function in the long term (its economy is clearly extractive: Urras respects its isolation because they provide it with rare minerals), each individual will find one society more attractive than the other depending on their values: someone who believes in merit and effort would prefer Urras, while a person less interested in material progress would probably choose Anarres.

The book is literature of ideas: there are no great adventures or battles. The characteristics of the respective societies emerge from the dialogues and memories of Shevek.

I particularly liked it because it is the longest book by Le Guin that I have read so far.

Re-reading for book club! (August 2015)

I first read this book in middle school and was completely blown away. It introduced numerous new ideas to me - truly brilliant ones! Instead of simply presenting these ideas as a utopia, it delved deep to explore them further, as well as their flaws and weaknesses.

I was very proud when I got my teacher that year to include this book on our summer reading list, ensuring that everyone else had to read it too. :-)

Of course, after re-reading it so long later, I wasn't sure how it would hold up. But as you can see, I still gave it 5 stars.

When I was a pre-teen, I remember thinking the book felt very 'adult.' This time, I was more impressed by how LeGuin manages to deeply explore profound and complex ideas through simple, elegant language that just about anyone, of any age, can understand.

And yes, this is a book of ideas. That could potentially be used as a valid complaint about the book. However, I didn't feel that the characters were neglected. Although they might sometimes be there to illustrate certain points, they still feel like fully realized people, thinking, acting, and feeling in believable ways.

This is, of course, the story of Shevek, a remarkably brilliant physicist. He is an excellent example of a character who is much smarter than average and behaves and thinks in a way that demonstrates this, rather than the more common occurrence where we're supposed to believe someone is talented or smart just because the author tells us so. Shevek was born on Anarres, a colony world started as a social experiment following the philosophy of the radical communo-anarchist Odo. 170 years later, after hardly any contact with the home world of Urras, rumors persist about the oppressive decadence of the 'propertarians' of Urras.

However, Shevek, a bit of a misfit in his own society, is invited to visit Urras. Through the book, we see their capitalist society and contrast its pros and cons with those of Anarres.

As a bonus, we also get a hint of what things are like not only on Urras and Anarres, but here on Earth as well as among the Hainish: there are not just two social possibilities.

I must admit: when I first read this, I identified more strongly with Shevek and Takver. This time, I had far more sympathy and understanding for Vea - as perhaps most people in the West would.

Essays and books could be written (and have been) about the ideas contained in 'The Dispossessed' - I'm not going to do an analysis here.

But I will say; I still think this is a book that everyone should read.

Beginning this novel rather late in the one-way flow of life and having only a superficial awareness of the author's standing (not being a sci-fi aficionado myself, and having read only The Left Hand of Darkness before), I had reason, for other purposes, to look at the Modern Library's "100 Best Novels" list. And I discovered that Ms. Le Guin's name was nowhere to be found on it. This wasn't entirely unexpected either way: the list has relatively few women (with only two in the top twenty) and is severely lacking in science fiction (with just two entries, three if you count Orwell's 1984 [#13]). So, it's obvious that a female science fiction writer didn't have a chance.

However, pshaw! Lighten up, man! "Because what a list!"—or so I thought anyway, being charmed by the list-like nature of lists as I often am in my most naïve and Peter Pan-like moments. The authority of authors, ranked in order. Dad's army. Fire that cannon, as they used to say in the world of literary criticism in the early 90s...

But wait a minute, give me a moment: what was this, at number...five? (As in: the fifth best novel of the entire bloody 20th century? No way! Aldous Huxley's Brave New World!? Surely someone was pulling my leg here: yes, BNW came above Under the Volcano [#11]. It trounced Slaughterhouse-Five [#18]. Henderson the Rain King [#21] blamed it (sorry) on all that rain. A Handful of Dust [#34] on the…well, you get the idea.

(OK OK, I say to the Invisible Man [#19] in the mirror, why not, I'll do some more—Amazon has given us this amazing sandbox to play in for free, hasn't it? What could possibly go wrong?) Tender Is the Night [#28] for the Lord of the Flies [#41], perhaps, but the Sun Also Rises [#45] on both Women in Love [#49] and Portnoy's Complaint [#52]. It's always been like this. But compared to Brave New World? It's almost Pale Fire [#53], my friends of chance!

Seriously though (before this review becomes one of those reviews about anything but the book in question), seriously? Number Five? Brave New World? Sure, it's quite good at capturing the spirit of its time, taking eugenics, conspicuous consumption, behaviorism, and so on to their extremes and wittily debating the dilemmas between the impossible Godhead and the paltry, even sordid, off-the-shelf orgasm. But The Dispossessed [# it was Snubbed] does all that too, while also doing the much more methodical and careful work of imagining (sorry, Walt) everyday life under an anarchist existence light years away. I wish I'd read it at sixteen—it would have literally changed my life. There's so much intelligent thought, so many ideas constantly in play.

And although I'm not sixteen anymore (surprise!), this 5* review is for that 5* boy still somewhere inside this 2.5* body who loved reading this. And who also loved other novels of ideas back then, or any book that promised to overturn everything that was useless in society, in life—i.e., everything, to just about every sixteen-year-old ever. This list is for you, bud, wherever you are out there, in here:

The Razor's Edge,

Breakfast of Champions,

Narziss und Goldmund,

Steppenwolf,

Franny and Zooey,

La Nausee,

...even Brave New World

...and, yes, The Dispossessed.

But no ranking, lads—shhhh…anarchists, you know?

*********************

Epilogue: I forgot to mention that this book introduced me to the term "Propertarian", which I initially thought was coined by the author, but which Wikipedia dates back to 1963 and is roughly synonymous with right-libertarianism or Lockean capitalism—apropos of which this post by Verso Press seems rather timely on a day when the Buffalo police did some of their finest, erm, policing.

The real definition of "Private Property".

https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4736

Human nature has a tendency that leans not towards entropy but rather towards bureaucracy.

I'm afraid that my review might place more emphasis on Anarres and give less attention to Urras. It was the Anarrian sections that piqued my interest to a greater extent, specifically the efforts to maintain (for founding was the relatively easy part) an anarcho-syndicalist society over an extended period of time. Regarding Urras, I felt that it was depicted in clear terms and managed to avoid becoming a polemic. However, it did have some very pointed remarks to make about class, war, conscription, property, and the gendering associated with them.

Note: The remainder of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent alterations in Goodreads' policy and enforcement. You can read the reasons behind my decision here.

In the meantime, you are able to read the entire review at Smorgasbook.