Questions About The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia

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Answered Questions (11)

Some old sci-fi does not stack up these days, so I'm curious how this one has survived the ravages of time?

Maggie The philosophical ideas in this book are as resounding now as ever - if you've ever dabbled in political philosophy or comparative theology, Le Guin d…moreThe philosophical ideas in this book are as resounding now as ever - if you've ever dabbled in political philosophy or comparative theology, Le Guin does a fantastic job of weaving bits and pieces from capitalism/socialism/communism, age-old Western/Eastern contrasts, and class structure/conflict. Given today's disparaging levels of inequality and political polarity, this book is very on-point in its subtle criticisms of tribalism. (less)

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Do you have to read the other novels in the series first before this one? I got this book for free and started reading it (and am enjoying it), but then I found out that it's part of a series.

Michael Murray No they are quite distinct books. They are just set in the same "universe" with races and planets having the same names. …moreNo they are quite distinct books. They are just set in the same "universe" with races and planets having the same names. (less)

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Any thoughts on the assault on Vea? What is the purpose that serves in the novel?

Keerthi

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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i tried a few times but could read only 50-60 pages of it. should i be patient and push myself or accept that it's not for me?

Amy The book really doesn't pick up until about 3/4 of the way through. It takes a lot of patience to get there. I think unless you are really into explor…moreThe book really doesn't pick up until about 3/4 of the way through. It takes a lot of patience to get there. I think unless you are really into explorations of socialism vs capitalism vs anarchism, this book might not be for you.

While I enjoyed the book, I'm surprised that it gets such high ratings—it really is kind of a slog, and a little bit confusing.

Instead, I highly recommend reading another book by Ursula K. Le Guin: The Lathe of Heaven. It's much more fast paced.(less)

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What am I missing here? There were some interesting ideas about economics and language and sexual mores and of course physics, but I was not engaged in the story 90% of the time. I got all the way through it, but it was not an enjoyable ride.

Robbie Did your copy have the study guide at the end? Reading that gave me some insight into the context/time period of the release of this book (basically "…moreDid your copy have the study guide at the end? Reading that gave me some insight into the context/time period of the release of this book (basically "hippies") which helped me appreciate it a bit more. But yeah, I'm with you - big snooze fest. I'm not sure why it's still a book that is talked about.(less)

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