Rating: 
Summary: hate to admit it, but it was ok
Review: Having seen the movie and read many reviews, I went into this not wanting to like it. I have to say, however, that I did like it, at least 80%, so it gets four stars.What did I like? To be honest, non-stop action gets boring; there are only so many ways to write bangs and booms. So I liked the fact that there weren't too many "battle scenes" in this book. I also liked much of the "moral philosophy" in the book, though it was a bit direct and obviously for young adults. What didn't I like? Among my dislikes are the following: First, the message that beating children is all right. I don't disagree; my own mother spanked me from time to time, and I'm not against such punishment. It's just that I know that many people will think, "see, Heinlein said it's OK to beat kids," and then go no-holds-barred against their children. His message is simply that such punishment should not be frowned on and that it is necessary *SOME* of the time. Remember, it's not unusual if it's overdone (to paraphrase Heinlein himself). I myself only remember getting spanked once or twice when I was young. Another complaint of mine is the idea that military veterans should be in control of things. His argument for this stems partly from the idea that no government has ever been perfect, and that the current (in the story) military government is at least better than any before. Yet, as the book is imaginary, he's basically stating that A) governments are relative, they all do the job, and B) this imaginary government does really well in my imagination, therefore it is good. Remember, nothing in the book has really happened, and the concepts presented have not ever really been tested, so it's not fair to say that they are working. They work in the book because Heinlein wants them to. So while I can't say how good his ideas really are, I just want to caution people that his book is not a test of them, simply a proposal. The last example I want to present of a problem I had with the book is this: The segregation of the armed forces. It's stated plainly in the book that everybody in his imaginary society is equal; the only separation of power is based on military "citizenship" versus non-military "civilians". However, it's also clearly stated that there are *NO* women in the mobile infantry, and that ship pilots are always women because they perform better at the job. This is not equality, is it? IF things were to be this way, it SHOULD be because, as people get chosen for jobs without gender consideration, it so happens that women TEND, statistically that is, to get piloting jobs more than men. This would allow for women being allowed to enter M.I. if they are able, and vice versa. Overall, this was still a really good book, a thinking person's book. Just make sure you're thinking while you read it!
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: In today's videogame/instant satisfaction society, reading a book is a tough thing to do for young people. They should all be forced to read this one however. Outstanding job that makes everyone who reads it think. And that is sometimes painful for the youth of the U.S. I am personally glad I read it. I don't agree with every last sentence in the book, but darn near. Truly a must read for young adults.
Rating:
Summary: A defense of the military mentality
Review: Heinlein would have been more honest to title this work 'History & Moral Philosophy', just like the courses in high school and OCS. It's really a polemic on why war is necessary and fighting for your society is good and moral. It just throws in some soft (not hard) sci-fi as window dressing. It tries to show that all authoritarian military structures are based on the same principles, all the way back to (and he quotes it himself) Troy. The futuristic sci-fi is weak, cloudy, hesitant, as are the alien 'bad guys'. The movie goes on where the book left off, making the world and the aliens vividly real, but skimming the philosophy. Hence, viewing the movie doesn't mean you've read the book, or vice-versa. As a philosophical thought product, I'd give it 4 stars; as a novel, 3. But I gave it 4 overall 'for the benefit of the doubt', like Rico's commander gave him :) His native language is Tagalog? :)
Rating:
Summary: Not a perfect book, but highly interesting nonetheless!
Review: I never really got to like Johnny Rico very much, but his story is certainly an interesting one. The constant flashbacks from his days as a fighting M.I. trooper to his high school memories to his boot-camp training days keep this novel moving at a fast pace. Johnny always seems to be at the low end of the totem pole, just barely surviving to advance to the next level. But he's still a bit smug at times, and I just never felt much sympathy for him. And while I don't necessarily disagree with Heinlein's political views, I got tired of his trying to bring in every single geographical group of people on the planet into the military. It smacked of those modern, politically correct Saturday morning cartoons, where every little group of kids has a representative of every race & religion among them. In the same fashion, Johnny's unit is made up of people from every single country on the planet. It just seems too contrived to be real.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't try this at home
Review: It's hard to believe that some readers draw inspiration from this book. To be sure, it presents interesting philosophical arguments, but the conclusion leaves little room for hope -- life is all about war and war is inevitable. The most you can hope for is to stay a step ahead of the other species trying to conquer the universe...for a while at least. But it isn't so much the philosophy I take issue with (I don't buy the argument but I'm not sure that Heinlein believed it himself, and I don't judge the quality of a novel by its philosophy). My issue is primarily with the fact that the book does not explore the ramifications of such a world-view and such a society. The hero, Juan Rico, whom we follow from his ad-hoc decision to join the army to his thorough indoctination into the Mobile Infantry as an officer, never has to grapple with the brutality of war, the deaths of his comrades, and relatives, the seemingly endless and pointless blodbath in which he participates every day. His psyche is never damaged, he never questions his sanity, he never has a serious problem with the notion that to prove his "manhood" he must kill others. And, conveniently, the enemy he fights is so (litarally) inhuman that he never has to face the horror of knowing himself to have destroyed others' lives and societies. This book is pro-war propaganda which fails to propose any real alternatives to a life of fighting, and does not dwell on the implications of its choices to deeply. Just sing to the glory of the infantry, and everything will be fine.
Rating:
Summary: Much ado about not that much
Review: Sorry, folks, but I didn't find this thing either the work of genius some would have you think, nor the abomination others decry. It basically reads like a recruitment guide for the military. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but if you buy it looking for action you will be sorely disappointed; it begins with action, and there is some action later, but not very much. Seventy-five percent of it is the author's political and/or moral philosophy, as rendered by various teachers, military officers, and the narrator.
Rating:
Summary: Fire the moron is who wrote the Amazon review of this book!
Review: How dare this person presume to decide for us what should or should not be used by the reader as a political manifesto !!! The reviewer's arrogance is typical of socialist "thought police" who propagate, and try to enforce, "political correctness"!!!
Rating:
Summary: Much better than the movie. Great book about citizenship.
Review: I had to read this book for a class, and I am glad that I did. It's main theme is citizenship, and it illustrates how one boy grows to become a man and a citizen. The transition is smooth and very interesting. It could be difficult if you aren't into science fiction or technology.
Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the movie, read the book!
Review: Contrary to what the movie displayed, the book is a much more human and intelligent look at an interstellar war in the future. The powered suits(not shown in the movie) are a possible direction of future warfare. This book was originally intended to be a juvinile novel, but possibly due to it's graphic nature was published as an adult.
Rating:
Summary: If you loved the movie, dont read this book.
Review: Any responsible moviemaker was obviously at least a thousand miles away when the film adaptation of this great book was made. It makes me sick anytime a work of substance such as this is mutilated by hollywood and fed into the meatgrinder of hacks that turn literature into sausage for public consumption. Enough about the movie though. I love this book. The ideas and philosophies of Heinlien are sometimes right winged but always pragmatic. His style is crisp and efficient. This book will make you think about things a little differently and hopefully appreciate the freedom we all share a little more.
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