Rating: 
Summary: A great and sometimes mind altering read
Review: I first read this book in Junior High school. (9th grade).. I submitted a book report based on this book and got a failing grade, (Based on unsuitable subject matter!!). As an experiment this same book report was submitted to my sons 9th grade English teacher,(unsigned) and recieved an A+.. When she was told that the report had recieved a failing grade in the 1960's she wrote a note of condolence ... addressed to the teacher that graded it... (my sons book report recieved a B+) I have re-read this book at least 15 times between age 20 and age 50, and every time there is some new part that stands out and grabs my attention. I recomend this book to anyone who can read at a sixth grade level.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting Is
Review: I was surprised to see comments saying that people liked Heinlein and did NOT like Stranger. The only thing that could have made Stranger better, in my not-so-humble opinion is if it had been written in an era that wasn't so repressed. Even unexpurgated it isn't as powerful as it could have been if RAH had written it today.
I have met many people online - a not-so-surprising number of them have been RAH people and, of course, into Stranger. Some are members of CAW and/or into polyamory. Also not surprisingly, the web pages and IRC channels for CAW, Heinlein and Polyamory are interconnected.
I have a funny feeling that if RAH had written Stranger in 1997, VMS would have been online and his message would have been grokked in fullness by many, many more.
It's sad that his views on politics and religion came to be be shown as reality rather than cynicism - Televangilists are so like the "Church" with gambling, drinking, etc. all fine and dandy as long as they have the right brand. Lastly, it's sad tht out of all the books RAH wrote, the only one that has been made into a movie (not counting that one made aeons ago) is Starship Troopers. I don't remember many ideas or concepts in that book - only jingoistic, militaristic bloodiness. Which, of course, is why it will probably be a very popular movie. <G>
Rating: 
Summary: mundane ideas from a mundane author
Review: Heinnlein presents ideas that he seems to t hink are revolutionary, exciting -- new! When in fact they're boring and unoriginal, with a pathetic story used to present them to the reader. Many authors have done far better jobs of presentign ideas that are trully intriguing, and exciting. I find that all Henleisn novels are much like this. Read somehtingn better liek Dune, Foundation or Childhood's end. These deserve to be called scienficiton classics.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: Yes, it's similar to the story of Christ. So is E.T. So what? It's still a great story that needs to be told. Why they made a movie out of "Starship Troopers" and not this one, I will never know. Read the book, and remember thou art God!
Rating:
Summary: Here Goes
Review: I think this is the best novel I have read in my short existence. I think whoever gave this book a 3 or, god bless, a 2 should open up his or her eyes and realize that this book was not printed for the love of money, nor is this book overly preachy, but a fantistic work of art.
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Summary: Stranger in a Strange Land changed my way of thinking.Great!
Review: Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein, is a wonderful book. Though a sci-fi book, it is powerful and moving. It is the story of a man raised by martians, and then loved/hated by humans. He did not know the words for war or gun, but he brought a higer level og thought to the people. I absolutely think that this is the best book of all time. It should be required reading for those who are human and those who are not. If you don't read this book, you are missing out on a lot. I grok it, man!
Rating:
Summary: It was amazing!
Review: This was the very first science fiction book I ever read. And, I still remember it like it was yesterday. This was 10 years ago. My brother told me I had to read this book before I could read any other sciece fiction books. He said it was the best science fiction book ever writen, how right he was! I have not read it ever since, not because I don't want to, but because he owns the book and lives in Europe. But, I still remember the amazement I felt when I fineshed the book, the love I felt towards the characters. I loved this book, and if you have not read it yet, READ IT!!! You will never regret it.
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Summary: A rewrite of the New Testament?
Review: This is one of the best books ever written. I first read it thirty years ago and reread it regularly. I am amazed, however, that no one has mentioned the fact that it is a rewrite of the new testament. Just as Leonard Bernstein rewrote "Romeo and Juliet" as "West Side Story", so Heinlein rewrote the story of Christ. 1) Mike is a bastard by birth, 2) We know nothing of the first 30 years of his life, 3) He throws the money changers out of the temple. 4) He preaches unconditional love. 5) He founds his own church. 6) Baptism by water. 7) He is "crucified". The list goes on and on. The big difference is that this book draws you along and makes you love the characters. After finishing "Stranger" for the first time, I paced for hours, just letting it sink in. Did it change my life? How can one tell? I only know that my life is much richer for the existance of this book.
Rating:
Summary: To Grok or not to Grok that is the question.
Review: I read this book in the company of one of my best friends back in the 60's. Times and ways of living were different then. Gentler. This book agreed with my life stile then. Stranger in a Strange land is how I feel now. The world today is crueler then ever. It would be nice if this book could be regroked by the new generation of the '90s. Thankx Heinlein! grok on!
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Summary: If You Haven't Read It Lately, Then You Haven't Read It.
Review: Once or twice in a lifetime, one finds a book that could be considered "life changing." Allow me to shorten your quest and steer you toward this phenomenonal piece of literature, "Stranger In A Strange Land." If you haven't read it in awhile, then you are missing this newest "unabridged" edition, which contains material considered too risque for the already controversial novel.
A baby boy is orphaned on Mars by an Earth interplanetary expedition gone bad. A second expedition some years later finds a young man with Martian ideals ... as well as uniquely Martian "talents." Brought back to Earth, Valentine Micheal Smith -- The now famed "Man From Mars" -- faces a new planet. There are new things to learn and to grok. Like human laughter ... girls ... love ... hatred ... sex ... Soon, Earth finds that Smith has even more things to teach us...
The main character of this story, Valentine Micheal Smith, is the most endearing person on paper whom I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
The Man-From-Mars-Turned-Earth-Citizen has a child-like innocence that is impossible not to love. Jubal Hershaw, Smith's adopted mentor, is classic Heinlein -- charming, down-to-earth, eloquent ... cherished by his friends and rightfully feared by his enemies. I have only one complaint with Heinlein: Sometimes, the reader gets the impression, after about 2/3 of the way into reading, that Heinlein "lost track" of where the story was going, muddled along for awhile longer, then tied up loose ends (which he does very well, mind you) in a plausible-to-very-good ending. "Stranger" is the exception to this "Heinlein Syndrome." The story is very well thought out and leads to an amazing ending that frankly just ... well, to say anything else would be putting the dessert in front of dinner. Read it yourself.
A long-time fan of this classic of science fiction, I was delighted to find this new, unabridged version. For those of us who never wanted this book to end, there are now over 50,000 words that YOU HAVEN'T READ YET! So many discoveries to make in this incredible book ... for the first time reader as well as the twelfth-time reader.
If you haven't read it for awhile, then you're probably about due anyway ... right?
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