Starship Troopers

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Summary: Starship Troopers
Review: I think that this is definately a piece of literature worth reading. It struck me as thought provoking, with many controversy and inventive ideas about government and the way the future could be. I greatly enjoyed it.

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Summary: Speculation on Events Behind The Scenes; a Disagreement
Review: I'll bet Heinlein was very proud of this book, and I'll bet his agent told him it would be suicide to try and publish it: the book contains a grand wealth of bold social, psychological, and political ideas, but reads like a manifesto, with the plot coming across as almost an afterthought. I did my Thesis for senior English in High School on this novel, (in which I called Heinlein's government a "Fascist Democracy) and most of my points have been touched on in other reviews. I'm writing this review to comment on something another reviewer said. He suggested that Heinlein's requirements for citizenship also allow for forms of service including, among other things: "full-time service as a certified public-school teacher, guidance counselor or principal in under-served rural or inner-city communities - full-time service as a policeman, sheriff's deputy, state trooper, community corrections officer, prison psychologist, or Child Protective Service officer" The problem with such a setup is that it misses Heinlein's point: that people need to prove their loyalty and devotion to the public good BEFORE they are placed in these positions of trust and authority.

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Summary: Still timely, and as thought-provoking as ever.
Review: When I was in my early teens, I read nearly everything Heinlein had written up to that point. The themes of 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' ("TANSTAAFL") and Starship Troopers (citizenship must be earned) are among those I still remember most vividly.

These themes led me to follow Heinlein's own example, and choose the Navy when I faced the war in Vietnam and the draft lottery at age 19. Left-handed, non-athletic and somewhat solitary, I'd have made a terrible cap trooper and an even worse Marine. But I did okay in submarines. Today I wear a ponytail and work in software, and my politics have swung leftward to cross the centerline. But I still agree with the basic premise of Starship Troopers: while the <<opportunity>> to earn full citizenship must be open to all, there is a lot to be said for expecting people to earn their right to hold elected office in some fashion.

As a Heinlein character points out in Starship Troopers, military service needn't be the only means of earning this right. The key is for each candidate to have first spent significant time and effort contributing individually--and at some level of personal sacrifice--to the well-being of the nation and its people. To extend Heinlein's list of citizenship paths somewhat, I would add the following examples:

- service in VISTA or the Peace Corps

- full-time service in an American Red Cross disaster relief unit

- as a full-time mother, successfully raising one child through completion of high school with a B average, no suspensions, and no arrests

- full-time practice as a certified health-care professional (physician, registered nurse, pharmacist, etc.) providing low-cost service to under-served populations (examples include both inner-city and rural communities)

- full-time service as a certified public-school teacher, guidance counselor or principal in under-served rural or inner-city communities

- full-time service as a policeman, sheriff's deputy, state trooper, community corrections officer, prison psychologist, or Child Protective Service officer

- military service in the Army (including the Corps of Engineers), Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, or any of their reserve or National Guard units

- full-time service in the Environmental Protection Agency, in the NOAA uniformed service, as a ranger in the National Park Service or the USDA Forest Service, or in a similar public-service conservation role

- full-time public service to under-served communities as a registered professional engineer (P.E.), working to improve water, waste disposal, public utility and transportation systems

There could be many more such paths to an earned citizenship, but Heinlein's basic premise that it should be earned is still worth investigating.

It's also worth noting that all four of the upcoming presidential election's currently credible candidates have--each in his own way--met Heinlein's minimum criteria for full citizenship. Alphabetically: Bradley was in the Air Force Reserve; Bush served as a pilot in the Air National Guard; Gore served as an enlisted Army journalist in Vietnam; and McCain's service as a Navy pilot included several years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. That's food for thought.

I thought the movie did little justice to the book. But Starship Troopers is well worth reading again as we approach the presidential primary season, and I'm grateful to Robert Heinlein for writing it.

Hmmm... Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota also meets Heinlein's criteria, since he served as a Navy SEAL. D'you suppose he ever read Starship Troopers?

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Summary: Vintage Heinlein at its best -- and surprisingly timely toda
Review: This is a great adventure story, and the prototype for a whole science fiction genre (e.g., John Steakley's "Armor," Gordon Dickson's "Dorsai" books, etc.). I had the experience of rereading it just after reading Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers," and the congruence between the two books was astonishing. Beyond that, however, it's a surprisingly sophisticated meditation on what it takes to make a society work when -- as always -- most of its members would rather be free riders. Starship Troopers is a thought experiment along those lines that seems surprisingly prescient today. Ignore the movie tie in. Although the film quoted some big chunks of the book verbatim, it completely missed the point of the book, and was mostly about killing big bugs with surprisingly primitive weaponry and amazingly unsophisticated tactics.

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Summary: thought provoking on many levels
Review: OK, I'm over 40 and have read this book many, many times. Each time I get a good read and a new perspective. If you're a teen, as I was the first time I read it, it's just a good sci-fi war story. But it also says a lot about the right to vote, military duty and honor, and the way we humans react to 'otherness'. But one thing a lot of people miss is what Heinlein was trying to say about propaganda. Propaganda can be used for good or bad but the human reaction to it is about the same. While he saw the dangers of totalitarian governments like Nazi Germany or Communist Russia, he also saw the pitfalls of blind reactionary fervor leading us down the same path. Read the book and think 1950's McCarthyism and you'll see what I mean.

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Summary: Highly engaging, a pleasant surprise.
Review: Starship Troopers is a thoroughly engaging novel with highly intelligent social and political commentary. Many of the principals put forward offer interesting ideas for how things may turn out for humankind, but, more specifically, the novel deals predominantly with aspects of human nature as they exist at every moment. Why do we go to war? Why does a soldier, knowing full well that he will, more than likely, be killed, actually get up and fight? It seems to defy human nature. Those who think it is predominantly for the good of the human race shall meet a bit of a surprise. This, and much of the philosophical ideas of the novel, is not mere babble by an egotistical author, but true supported facts. War is not encouraged in this book; rather, it is accepted as a facet of human existence which cannot be ignored and will probably never be left behind. For those who are looking for an action packed novel full of violence and bloodshed, look elsewhere. There is combat in this novel, but that is not what is being strived for. The recent film based on the book is a horrible adaptation of the novel, purely insulting in some respects. This novel is science fiction in its purest foundational form: commentary on aspects of human existence today, shrouded in a cloak of the future. If you are a thinking person, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

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Summary: Duty, Honor, and Country,,do these ideals still exist?
Review: I first read this book in Jr. High School and became hooked because of the great battles described. (I even bought the board game, which I still have). I later read it in high school and started to read the entire book,,not just the action chapters, and it started to make more and more sense. Now some 15 years later the book sounds like my own thoughts. As a Jr. High School teacher myself now, the book rings so true with every line. Starship Troopers is a classic. I am now reading Starship Troopers for the 5th time and it always seems to get better. If you want a twinky book move on, if you want a full meal this is for you. Does every one get the meaning of this book? Of course not,,look how many people voted for Clinton for crying out loud! Long live the name Roger Young!

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Summary: Doesn't anybody get it?
Review: The majority of these reviews seem to have misinterpeted the message of the book. First of all, if you read Expanded Universe you'll find that Heinlein advocates restricting the right to vote in the manner the society in his book did. A lot of this books criticism is complaining that the vote should not be limited in any way. Hello! In the United States you cannot vote until you're 18. Does this not prevent certain individuals from voting? Its a damn good book and Heinlein is a wonderful writer, he also knows the military well. This book is not pro-war. It's pro defense of the rights which are properly derived from ones existence as a human being. If you're confused about Heinleins political beliefs read the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, in particular the Professors speech while forming the cell, about Rational Anarchism.

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Summary: Don't bother
Review: Holy smokes, was this a boring book! If you like reading books where something actually HAPPENS, don't bother with this one. It's just a long, boring diatribe, no action to speak of. And it's not like you're listening to Johnny pondering the vagaries of the universe after seeing his buddies slaughtered in battle, you're listening to his PROFESSOR drone on about in CLASS! I don't think Heinlein could've made it any duller.

Bottom line: if you want to read the book because you liked the movie, DON'T. I wish someone had told me that.

Rating:
Summary: Must get book
Review: It inspired me to go fight the huge bugs.It was packed full of adventure and quality.