∎ PDF The Dispossessed Ursula K Le Guin 9780380003822 Books

The Dispossessed Ursula K Le Guin 9780380003822 Books

Download As PDF : The Dispossessed Ursula K Le Guin 9780380003822 Books

The Dispossessed Ursula K Le Guin 9780380003822 Books

I don't usually like stories with flashbacks (thankfully, the flashbacks are chronological), but this is one where the technique really pays off. Two planets rotate around each other, one has a rich biosphere and lacks many resources while the other is barely able to produce enough food for a rather small population, but is rich in resources the other planet needs. The former planet has a strict authoritarian government and unlimited luxuries for the rich and rather austere lives for the poor who have no freedom at all. This contrasts with the austere second planet where everyone is at least theoretically free in a human/computer organized anarchy, but some people manage to have more power than others despite a system that should not favour anyone over another (everyone usually works together for the common good).

This book is a must read. It also includes an english professor's reading guide at 94% that includes a brief synopsis of the social situation at the time the novel was written to help explain why the author wrote the book the way she did and then poses thought provoking questions about each chapter. I suggest that you read this guide first and then read each chapter and try to answer the questions in the reading guide and repeat until you have completed the novel. Reading the book in this way will be a far more moving and enjoyable experience.


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The Dispossessed Ursula K Le Guin 9780380003822 Books Reviews

For me, this science fiction novel was a solid 4.5 stars. Not 5 stars, because at times, I found myself wondering when the author was going to move on. But that is my only quibble with Ursula Le Guin. Its rightfully acknowledged as one of the genre's classics and many think its a classic of general fiction.
The book jacket summarizes the story well. This Ursula Le Guin novel is a tale of a utopian society, and the characters that struggle to keep it a utopia. It is a multi-layered novel. I think readers have and will get different messages depending on their circumstances. Its story is certainly relevant to what's occurring in politics today. Highly recommended.
Every society claims to have the answer, but each is deeply flawed. What happens when one person will never give up the pursuit of absolute self realization, doing what they are meant to do, what they know is right? Of course, they are crushed, over and over.

One of my favorite novels of any genre. Tackles all the right questions. Challenges all political schools of thought, institutions of science, morality, industry. Does so fairly and develops compelling characters. Finds meaning in the meaningless suffering, on the level of a Dostoyevsky novel, compares favorably to The Idiot especially. A powerful message without ever preaching. Especially if you're interested in physics, this is a great book to read. If you're new to science fiction or have no interest in physics, this is a great place to start, being one of the most underrated classics.
One of the best books I have ever read. Has some of the best philosophical concepts of a truly anarchist society. Beauty. Brotherhood. No waste. Truly astounding. I spent too many years of my life not knowing anything about Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle, and most especially this incredible tome. It is a mountain. It's depth is astounding yet doesn't smack you in the head with it....it is not pretentious. What Le Guin poses here is a 300-plus page discussion on the benefits/disadvantages of creating an anarchistic society, of capitalism, of property, of privacy, of freedom. I will now spend my days diving headlong into the rest of the Hainish books. Thank you, Ursula K. Le Guin, you given me the science fiction I want! Intellectual, yet exciting!
This is the first LeGuin work that I ever read that did not impress me. I found it to be heavy-handed propaganda. It's not that I disagree with the thrust of the thoughts presented (I don't). It's just that the book was so dense and so obvious that I quickly found it getting on my nerves. I was able to finish it only with some effort against boredom on my part. A good book never bores me, but this one did.

I never thought I'd say this about one of her novels or stories.
How does one write a review of such a book, seriously? This book is magnificent. It is my first time reading anything by Le Guin so perhaps that colors my experience. While this is the fifth book in the Hainish Cycle, I am assured that it is a good place to start and the series need not be read in order. Reading it certainly did not feel like anything was missing or that I'd missed out on a backstory at all.

This book chronicles the related people of twin planets, one previously colonized by settlers from the other. The narrative vividly contrasts various types of social organization and behavior, including freedom (and the lack of it), government (and the lack of it), mutual cooperation and competition, and so forth. While the differences seem stark at first, the subtleties become more apparent as more is revealed. It not only entertains but forces the reader to think about alternate ways of living that have been dismissed or not considered before.

The story is delivered mostly from the view of the protagonist, from two different periods in his life. The movement back and forth from his earlier life to his later life helps with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the tale. The timelines come together eventually, of course, but the beauty of the book is in the wholeness of the telling.

The author occasionally creates words, or at least they appear to be created as they are new to me and not in dictionaries or wikipedia, but these created words have meanings that are obvious. They add to the beautiful fabric of the chronicle.
I don't usually like stories with flashbacks (thankfully, the flashbacks are chronological), but this is one where the technique really pays off. Two planets rotate around each other, one has a rich biosphere and lacks many resources while the other is barely able to produce enough food for a rather small population, but is rich in resources the other planet needs. The former planet has a strict authoritarian government and unlimited luxuries for the rich and rather austere lives for the poor who have no freedom at all. This contrasts with the austere second planet where everyone is at least theoretically free in a human/computer organized anarchy, but some people manage to have more power than others despite a system that should not favour anyone over another (everyone usually works together for the common good).

This book is a must read. It also includes an english professor's reading guide at 94% that includes a brief synopsis of the social situation at the time the novel was written to help explain why the author wrote the book the way she did and then poses thought provoking questions about each chapter. I suggest that you read this guide first and then read each chapter and try to answer the questions in the reading guide and repeat until you have completed the novel. Reading the book in this way will be a far more moving and enjoyable experience.