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Man Plus

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 2,613 ratings · 81 reviews

Ill luck made Roger Torraway the subject of the Man Plus Programme, but it was deliberate biological engineering which turned him into a monster -- a machine perfectly adapted to survive on Mars. For according to computer predictions, Mars is humankind's only alternative to extinction. But beneath his monstrous exterior, Torraway still carries a man's capacity for sufferin...more

Paperback, 215 pages

Published May 11th 2000 by Millennium Paperbacks, imprint of Gollancz (first published August 1976)

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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

SF Masterworks

57th out of 126 books — 302 voters

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Nebula Award for Best Novel

35th out of 50 books — 135 voters

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Mar 11, 2013 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in June 2009.

Man Plus won the Nebula award the year before his next novel, Gateway, swept the board of science fiction awards. It could be argued that Gateway is the perfect science fiction novel, because in it Pohl does many of the things which the genre is famous for superlatively: big ideas, interesting (if off-stage) aliens, journeys of personal discovery in intriguing environments, extrapolation of current trends and ideas into the future (in a rather dy...more Originally published on my blog here in June 2009.

Man Plus won the Nebula award the year before his next novel, Gateway, swept the board of science fiction awards. It could be argued that Gateway is the perfect science fiction novel, because in it Pohl does many of the things which the genre is famous for superlatively: big ideas, interesting (if off-stage) aliens, journeys of personal discovery in intriguing environments, extrapolation of current trends and ideas into the future (in a rather dystopian way); and does it with humour using a flawed central character - a cowardly hero all too easy to identify with. But it does stay well within the traditions of the genre, while the now less well known Man Plus is more adventurous, exploring emotional territory outside the usual comfort zone of genre fiction (of any genre, not just science fiction).

Man Plus is set in what would be the 1990s (during the tenure of the forty second US president, who was Bill Clinton in the real world). But this is a world in which the tensions of the Cold War continued to escalate, and it seems likely (either through all out war between China and other nations or through environmental problems) the earth will become uninhabitable in the short term. So the American space program undertakes a new project: Man Plus. The aim is to get man on Mars, and making it possible for the human race to continue there by re-engineering the colonists, starting with one man.

The central character, Roger Torraway, is not just an experienced astronaut butt one of the best known heroes of the space program, after the rescue of some stranded cosmonauts. He is one of the scientists involved in the Man Plus project, but when the man who is being transformed into a cyborg who can live unprotected on the surface of Mars through a long series of operations has a heart attack and dies, he is the alternate choice who becomes the primary candidate. From this point, the novel is about his emotional reaction to the changes made by the surgeons and engineers to his body, to realising that he is going to part from his wife, and to the philosophical (and theological) dilemmas which the transformation suggests.

From the genre point of view, his transformations effectively make him an alien (indeed, one of the most iconic type of aliens in science fiction: a Martian). Writing about understanding the alien has always been one of the most philosophical aspects of the genre, tied up as it is with questions about the nature of intelligence and humanity. Pohl even finds time for a little James Blish-like discussion of some not immediately obvious theological implications of the transformation process, courtesy of one of the scientists involved who is also a Catholic priest.

One major similarity with Gateway is that Pohl's attitude is not "be amazed by the science", but "how would this really feel?". This is something which marks him out from many of his contemporary science fiction authors, and what led Edmund Cooper, one of his colleagues, to say "In his grasp of scientific and technological possibilities, Pohl ranks with Asimov and Clarke, but he has greater originality than either" (as quoted on the back cover of this edition). Like many genre fans, my earliest science fiction reading was Asimov and Clarke (along with Heinlein), and they remain authors I go back too, despite their flaws as writers. Pohl is a more grown-up reading experience, requiring more engagement from the reader, but offering deeper rewards.

Torraway's elite background and the strangeness of the changes make him a difficult character for the reader to empathise with. (Gateway's central character, Robinette Broadhead, is much more sympathetic - indisputably a man of the people.) Pohl works hard to humanise Torraway though a subplot about an affair his wife is having, but this is one of the least successful aspects of the novel. Parts of Man Plus are disturbing, and others are definitely not for the squeamish. Yet Pohl is able to use his story to explore emotional terrtitory outside the usual boundaries of genre fiction, and this is one of the reasons why it is an important novel. It would be possible to argue that Gateway is the perfect science fiction novel, but it stays well within the bounds of the genre, not challenging what science fiction can do in the way that Pohl does here: more ambitious, but in the end less successful.(less)

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Nov 30, 2012 Charles Dee Mitchell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mid-century-sf

In 1953, Frederick Pohl teamed with C.M. Kornbluth and wrote The Space Merchants, one of the greatest American SF novels of the 20th century. And since 19th century precursors would be few and far between and it is too early to start making such calls about the 21st century, I guess I could go ahead and say that Pohl and Kornbluth wrote one of the greatest American SF novels of all time.

Perhaps because Space Merchants is my only other contact with Frederick Pohl, I find myself overly disappointe...more In 1953, Frederick Pohl teamed with C.M. Kornbluth and wrote The Space Merchants, one of the greatest American SF novels of the 20th century. And since 19th century precursors would be few and far between and it is too early to start making such calls about the 21st century, I guess I could go ahead and say that Pohl and Kornbluth wrote one of the greatest American SF novels of all time.

Perhaps because Space Merchants is my only other contact with Frederick Pohl, I find myself overly disappointed by this stingily imagined 1976 novel of the first U.S. manned mission to Mars. In some unspecified near future, the world is falling apart. Natural disasters plague much of the planet, small wars break out regularly, and all the small ones seem to be building up to the next big one which will mean worldwide nuclear devastation. Some predictive computer modeling done by U.S. scientists has suggested that placing a man on Mars will be the sort of accomplishment to unite the planet in a kumbaya moment of shared hope for the future. To carry this out, a crack team of scientists is busily converting a volunteer astronaut into a cyborg capable of surviving in the Martian atmosphere. When the first subject strokes out from an overload sensory input, one Roger Torraway finds himself the next in line. Let the extreme body modifications begin.

Repeated surgeries do not make for much in the way of action, and Pohl builds minimal suspense into the plot. Torroway hads a beautiful wife who is having an affair with his best friend who is also head of the Man Plus team. This does not make for any particularly interesting situations, except for the instance when Brad, the friend, is down with the flu and so fails to tell the now barely human Roger that the current minor surgical procedure will remove his genitalia. It's an awkward moment for everyone involved.

Pohl does little to create a vision of his future world. Cars drive themselves and space flights are everyday events. The technology involved in Roger's transformation is sketched in, and the facility in which the Man Plus project takes place is a gleaming white cube but the action inside could be taking place in the 1970's set of General Hospital. None of the characters are particularly interesting and I found Sulie, the nurse/scientist destined to be Roger's soulmate, downright tedious. Taking time out for scenes involving Roger and his unfaithful wife makes the storytelling additionally clunky.

There is a narrative voice running throughout the novel that remains unrevealed until the very end. Although its origin is not detailed in a very sophisticated way, it does bring into Pohl's story an early version of an idea that continues to fuel much science fiction writing and scientific speculation.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Gary Hoggatt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, all-fiction

Man Plus won the Nebula Award in 1976. This tells you a couple things, in and of itself. 1) It's got something worthwhile in it, and 2) It may feel dated, as older science fiction sometimes does. Well, both of these points bear out upon reading.

The basic plot revolves around an American astronaut who becomes a cyborg so that he can live on Mars, and what this does to his humanity. I find that, when the book sticks to this premise, it's solid. Moving along with the experiences of our protagonist,...more Man Plus won the Nebula Award in 1976. This tells you a couple things, in and of itself. 1) It's got something worthwhile in it, and 2) It may feel dated, as older science fiction sometimes does. Well, both of these points bear out upon reading.

The basic plot revolves around an American astronaut who becomes a cyborg so that he can live on Mars, and what this does to his humanity. I find that, when the book sticks to this premise, it's solid. Moving along with the experiences of our protagonist, Roger Torraway, as his body is ripped apart and replaced with artificial "upgrades" that will make the first human to live on Mars, in actuality, not very human at all is interesting. This is a fascinating topic, and I'd be interested in reading similar stories.

Where the book falters is the peripheral, dated factors. The exact date is not stated, but based on dates of referenced events and ages of characters, the year the action takes place is around 2025. Despite that, and the availability of technology to build a cyborg, computers are still-room sized, and a critical plot turn relies on not being able to get hold of a scientist, since there are apparently no cell phones. On the non-tech side, the characters' attitudes towards gender and sex are a strange mix of free love and chauvinism that could only have come from the 1970's. Other jarring and dated factors include the fact that the pressure to put an American on Mars derives from the U.S. slowly losing the Cold War to the ever-increasing dominance of the USSR and New People's Asia, and smoking in the NASA lab where the cyborg is being created (sure, he may not have normal lungs anymore, but that can't be good for the project).

All in all, I'm not sorry I read Man Plus, and I plan to read the sequel, Mars Plus, as there's an interesting twist at the end of Man Plus and I want to see where it leads. Both are short in page count quick reads, so it's not a huge investment, but Man Plus definitely doesn't rank with other Nebula winners I've read.(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Man Plus has a number of interesting ideas, but I didn’t feel like it was entirely satisfying as a novel. The writing is bland and short, a lot of the politics and social attitudes seemed very dated, and most of the characters failed to make much of a significant impression. While the soap-opera drama of Roger Torroway’s troubled marriage was not very engaging, his transformation into a being that could live on Mars did capture my imagination (though the reasoning behind the program didn’t make...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Mehmet rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is exactly this type of science fiction novel that makes this genre my favourite, Sci-fi is stories allows the author to deal with issues that makes and breaks society and deal with it from birds eye view. Books such as these are my favourite, Man Plus is a outstanding and thoughtful novel that is a tragic story involving the transformation of a male into a cyborg or half robot. The reason for this experiment is to do with the direction of humanity and the mess it has got itself into.
Written...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Charles Hay rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been meaning to read this for years, after absolutely loving Gateway, and finally got round to it. It was definitely worth the wait, this is a fantastic book.

The characters and plotting are all great and keep you guessing and thinking throughout, but what I really loved was the exploration of the nature of humanity here. What really shines through is how frighteningly malleable we are. We survive as human through events which, should by rights, remove our humanity. Take away our bodies, our...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Charis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beware of spoilers in this review!

I am surprised that I have ended up giving this book three stars, as I was so enjoying the majority of the book, which is only let down by the ending.

I would have liked to see the different sections of the book woven together in a more cohesive way and given an equal treatment, as all three as I see them are fascinating and worthy of exploration (the breakdown of civilisation, the man plus project, the gradual takeover by hidden forces). The last section felt l...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: random-comments-review

...Man Plus includes the dark sense of humour is included in everything I have read of Pohl so far. His portrayal of the US president in particular borders on the satirical at times. The satirical tone of some parts of the novel combined with the grotesque changes to Torraway's physique keep the reader right on the edge of how serious all this should be taken. Over the course of the novel he asks the readers to examine some quite difficult questions and keeps on asking them right up to the end o...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Another solid, but unremarkable, novel by one of the Grand Masters of Sci-fi. Similar in theme to Pohl's JEM, in that both present mankind as ruining planet Earth with War & Overpopulation and, therefore, mankind must find another planet to ruin --I mean-- 'colonize' in order to save the human species. In JEM the new planet is extra-solar; in MAN PLUS, the planet is our neighboring Mars.
While reading I could not totally understand the reasoning for Roger Torraway's physical transformation to...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian-setting-and-characters, classic, philosophy-and-religion, sci-fi, tab-a-in-slot-b, world-of-tomorrow

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 10, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

An interesting read with some great ideas. Man needs to colonise Mars if he has any chance of preventing a nuclear apocalypse. To carry this out an Astronaut undergoes numerous modifications to turn him into a cyborg that can cope with the harsh conditions of living on Mars without the need for an environment suit. Mixed in with these events we are shown the psychological impact on the astronaut and those around him. It is definitely a novel of its time - it was written at a point when the end o...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi, ai, transhumanism, standalone

This book made it onto my shelf thanks to being one of only a few on a short list I found of scifi books exploring transhumanism. Transhumanism is the term used for the desire to go beyond human capabilities through integrating technology into ourselves. So it wouldn’t be transhumanist to use a smartphone, but it would be transhumanist to embed a smartphone’s computer chip into your brain. In fact, things like knee replacements and pacemakers are transhumanist. It’s a fascinating topic. In any c...more This book made it onto my shelf thanks to being one of only a few on a short list I found of scifi books exploring transhumanism. Transhumanism is the term used for the desire to go beyond human capabilities through integrating technology into ourselves. So it wouldn’t be transhumanist to use a smartphone, but it would be transhumanist to embed a smartphone’s computer chip into your brain. In fact, things like knee replacements and pacemakers are transhumanist. It’s a fascinating topic. In any case, Man Plus explores using transhumanism to colonize Mars, and this thin novel packs quite a punch in how it explores this fascinating topic.

What made this book phenomenal to me, and one I must hold onto just so I can look at it again anytime I want, is the narration technique Pohl uses. The narration is in third person. It seems as if the narrator is someone who was possibly present for the events being described but also who is clearly describing these events after they have already occurred. We know from page one that the colonization of Mars was successful, and the narrator describes Roger repeatedly as a hero. But frankly for most of the book I was wondering about the narrator. Who is s/he? How does s/he know so much about this project? A project which clearly would be classified as top secret? What floored me and made me look back on the entire book with a completely different perspective was the final chapter, which reveals the narrator. If you want to be surprised too, skip the next paragraph, and just go read the amazing book. Take my word for it, scifi fans. You will love it. But I still want to discuss what made the twist awesome, so see the next paragraph for that spoileriffic discussion.

(view spoiler)

The plot focuses on the mission to colonize Mars, both why it was deemed necessary and how it was accomplished. Pohl eloquently presents both the complex political situation on Earth as well as the scientific and psychological challenges of the project without ever info dumping or derailing the energy of the plot. It is not smooth sailing to get the project off-the-ground but neither are there a ridiculous amount of near impossible challenges to overcome. It presents the perfect amount of drama and intrigue without becoming eye-roll inducing.

In spite of many of the characters seeming to fill predefined slots such as man on a mission, man on a mission’s wife, lead scientist, psychiatrist, etc…, they did not come across as two-dimensional. At least one aspect is mentioned for each character that makes them well-rounded and memorable. Of course, we get to know Roger the best, but everyone else still reads as a real person. I also was pleased to see one of the important scientist roles being filled by a woman, as well as a delightful section where a feminist press interviews Mrs. Torraway and calls out the space program as old-fashioned. The thing is, the space program as presented does read a bit as a 1970s version of the future, but in the future the press is calling it an old-fashioned institution. This is a brilliant workaround for the innate problem in scifi that the futures we write are always tinged by the present we’re in. This also demonstrates that Pohl was self-aware of the patriarchal way the space program he wrote was organized and lets him criticize it. I suspect that perhaps he felt that the space program would stay an old boy’s club, but wanted to also be able to critique this. Of course, it’s also possible that he liked it that way, and the scene was meant to read as a critique on feminism. But it’s really open for the reader to interpret whichever way the scenes happens to read to them. This is another sign of strong writing.

Overall, this short novel packs a big scifi punch. It explores the topic of transhumanism and space colonization with a tightly written plot, believable characters, self-awareness of how the time a book is written in impacts its vision of the future, and a narration twist that sticks with you long past finishing the book. I highly recommend it to scifi fans as a must-read.

Check out my full review.(less)

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Nov 06, 2009 Burymeinsmoke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great premise - the logistics of creating a necessary ubermensch to further colonization -written with great style, surgical precision (literally at times)and more than a touch of Hard SF. Besides these literary conventions, the book's real genius lies in his main protagonists change from boring everyman to Man Plus (I always think of that Red Dwarf episode when Lister is transformed into a midget Robocop-thing)which has parallels with PK Dick's plethora of radio repairmen etc becoming more than...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Nicholas Whyte rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1759967...

Man Plus is mostly a horror story about a man who is turned into a cyborg in order to explore Mars, but Pohl overlays it with a couple of other themes. First, he has a near-future projection of the political paranoia of the 1960s and 70s at both US and international level, a very cynical portrayal of how things work at the top which is I guess reflective of the post-Watergate era. Second, he has the secret manipulators of human politics, who gradually take...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 01, 2011 Thx1138 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another Hugo award winner from the 70's. the story follows a NASA program to colonize Mars through sending a test astronaut who has been turned into a cyborg in order to survive on Mars with no heat or food..basically. The man becomes more than a man and struggles with his understaning of the human condition and how he interacts with the technological aspects of his body including over-riding internal defence mechanisms meant to protect him that cause him to stalk his other crew members. NOt rea...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I saw The Watchmen last night, and hunted down that old Outer Limits ep, "The Architects of Fear" today on teh yewtewbz. I'd seen it before I ever read The Watchmen, but had been disappointed that the alien wasn't as scary as promised. I guess the effects were long past state-of-the-art by then.

But it reminded me of this book, which I read as a teen. It's very similar, only instead of building an alien to unite mankind against a threat, they build it to prove mankind could move to Mars to avoid...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Daniel Roy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf, wwe-gmrc, sf-masterworks

Meh. As far as SF masterpieces go, this one was pretty bad. I read it as the literary equivalent of a 50's B movie and found a modicum of enjoyment this way, but it was not a particularly interesting or fascinating read.

Man Plus concerns itself with manly astronauts yearning to conquer space, and the women orbiting their lives. If this book had been published in 1956 I would have rolled my eyes and moved on, but for a 1976 book, it's pretty darn backwards. Women are literally there to be lusted...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-masterworks

This book is a trip down memory lane, I realised after a few chapters I had read this book many years before in a much more battered and less loved edition. Now in its full masterworks glory I picked it up again and read it once more. Many of the scenes were so familiar but at the same time there were subtle under currents and descriptions i had over looked or forgotten. There is something appealing about older (or however you wish to tag it) science fiction - this book was written after all in...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a relatively short novel. In it, we learn the story of a US government program in the early 21st century to create a superhuman cyborg who is capable of surviving on the Martian surface, for the purpose of facilitating colonization that would save the human race from extinction in the (increasingly likely) event of a nuclear holocaust on Earth.

Though the novel won the Nebula award in 1976, I don't think it ages as well as many of the other novels that have earned this award. Pohl predict...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars

A bit of dated science fiction so there are a couple chuckles in there because of that. Not my style of novel. Not a bad book per se, just could not sink my teeth into it. After about 120 pages, I got into a groove and had to finish it. I was slow to figure out the 'We' bit from the narration of the book. Figured it out as the first line of Chapter 15. If you like slightly older sci-fi that dwells on the internals of a character adapting to an altered environment, you may enjoy this one more tha...more

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Jun 26, 2007 Punk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

SF. Man cannot live on the surface of Mars, but Man plus machine can. I accidentally read the sequel to this, Mars Plus, first, and didn't like it. Somehow Pohl and his cowriter pooled their weaknesses instead of their strengths, but this book is all Pohl and though it suffers from his usual handicaps of implausible and stilted 1950's dialogue and a complete inability to write female characters with anything approaching realism (in Pohl's world, women can be doctors -- and often are! -- but sti...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Gcoritsidis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A topical read given the Curiosity rover on Mars, this book takes place in a dystopian Earth that must colonize Mars or risk the nuclear annihilation of humanity in a world threatened by war. The savior takes the form of an astronaut-turned-cyborg that needs to sacrifice his pound(s) of flesh in order to survive on the inhospitable red planet - and much of the book details the transformation of man to cyborg (the man plus of the title?). Written in the '70s, the book is full of cold war geopolit...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Rosie Smeaton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I surprised myself in liking this book so much. I don't generally read Science Fiction and I haven't ever felt much compulsion to. This book was wonderful, though. It is full of engaging characters and relationships and it extremely thought provoking. It raised questions about the nature of humanity and human limitations, as well as what we may be risking with our dependence on technology. Both entertaining and thought provoking, I'd definitely recommend it.

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Apr 26, 2012 Manny rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts

At NASA, people often quoted what were claimed to be the Three Things Astronauts Fear Most. In descending order, these were:

1. Not getting selected for the mission;

2. Screwing up;

3. Dying.

In this 70s SF story, an astronaut, apparently with the normal set of priorities, has been fortunate enough to find himself selected for a daring bioengineering experiment; they are going to turn him into a creature capable of surviving, without a suit or other equipment, on the surface of Mars. Given that the...more

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Jun 02, 2013 Leandro Ribeiro rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this science fiction novel by Frederick Pohl, a man is turned into a monster and sent to survive in Mars, the only way to avoid extinction of the human race. This novel has the ability to give readers a relatable feel despite the drastic circumstances of the plot. Pohl gives readers a novel that stretches the average thoughts of the mind, and formulates an out of the ordinary, yet interesting, story.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 27, 2013 Lauma Lapa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nebula-1967-2012

interestingly, almost the reverse of Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.
a good thing to read if one wants a nice, complex story with a couple of weird narrators and a criminal feeling to it.
and, of course, the travel to mars. the speculation of how much organic makes humans human. and what is humane, after all.
thus, the hard sci-fi becomes .. not so hard.

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Feb 17, 2011 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some great parts in this book but overall I was left feeling a little disappointed. It was a little predictable and there was no real depth to the characters. Sounds like I hated it and I didn't I guess its just a little dated, Sci-fi of that era (1970's)is always going to be technologically dated and also writers tend not to give so much away about the inner workings of the characters.

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Mar 02, 2012 Scott Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Frederik Pohl's Man Plus was a interesting read, although it's undertone was somewhat dated. The ending however does end up surprising and leaves a whole unwritten story for the reader to imagine. While I would critique certain aspects, it is evident that Pohl's imagination was far ahead both in terms of his scientific speculations but also his understanding of potential risks.

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Aug 11, 2011 Ketan Shah added it

What makes someone a human being ? Roger Torroway is slowly redesigned to live unaided on Mars.As he becomes more of a machine is he any less a man ? One of the definitive cyborg novels.A multiple award winner,and deservedly so. Pohl never loses sight of his protaganist ,and this is what makes his transformation so real to the reader.

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About Frederik Pohl

Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor & fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited "Galaxy" magazine and its sister magazine "IF", winning the Hugo for "IF" three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.

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Books by Frederik Pohl

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Heechee Saga, #2)

The Annals of the Heechee (Heechee Saga, #4)

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“I was worried about sex," he went on. "But you know what, Sulie? It's like being told I can't have any caviar for the next couple years. I don't even like caviar. And when you come right down to it, I don't want sex right now. I supposed you punched that into the computer? 'Cut down sex drive, increase euphoria'? Anyway, it finally penetrated my little brain that I was just making trouble for myself, worrying about whether I could get along without something I really didn't want. It's a reflection of what I think other people think I should want.” — 5 people liked it

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