It took me a while to determine why this book might be so controversial, though the fact of its publication in the late 1950s—at the emergence of the hippie generation—might have something to do with it. In straightforward terms it’s a novel about a militaristic Roman-style republic set at an indeterminate point in the future. It’s not really an adventure story; it delineates the structure of the military and its relationship to society at large by following the career of Juan Rico. Most reviews tend to focus on how Heinlein used the novel to expound his views on the responsibilities the individual has to the state, the role of military service in those responsibilities, and the cause of youth crime. Heinlein seems to believe that the only members of a society who deserve suffrage are those who have taken the safety of that society as a personal responsibility by serving in the military, and that youth crime is the result of adults not properly educating their children. I won’t say that I agree with him, but I will say that it’s obvious much of the backlash to this novel was the result of the fact that Heinlein argues his points in clear, compelling language. It’s difficult to imagine winning a debate with Heinlein on these points, particularly since many of the problems he uses as evidence (urban and youth violence—random violence in particular—for example) have actually gotten worse, or at least are more visible and appear to have gotten worse, which is much the same thing in our society. He doesn’t seem to be writing for an entirely adult audience, or at least not for a particularly sophisticated audience, but all the same his rather old-fashioned prose makes military life and comaraderie look very attractive. Having military personnel among my immediate family and in my circle of friends I also feel comfortable saying that his portrayal of those aspects of military service is actually quite accurate, as it fits closely with their own stories. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone; an open mind towards the military and to other ideas is certainly a must if one is to give this novel a fair shake (as I said, I don’t agree with all, or even most of Heinlein’s ideas, but they certainly gave me quite a bit to think about). It’s now one of my favourite science fiction novels.
Next (and I’m finally caught up, so this actually is the book I’m currently reading) is Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa, by the incomparable André Alexis.
