jpowers
Emperor
And enjoys procreating with his sisters, if I remember correctly. I think there are much better examples of Heilein's work - "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" come to mind.
If everyone in the world could read one book...
- Thread starter thestonesfan
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BorgeoisBuffoon
Local Idiot
Aw geez, I'm suppose to be typing up notes on Animal Farm right now as we speak. I was gonna vote for it, but it seems people are clamoring enough for it. 
His clones, not sisters, but his mother was involved in the end. Both the books you mention are excellent, but in "Time Enough For Love" Heinlein got across huge ideas with small words while exploring Lazarus' motivation for staying alive so long despite all the suffering he witnessed. One of my favorite quips provides a very simple solution to man's most perplexing problem...."rub her feet".
thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
It seems that fantasy books, religious or not, get the most nominations. Interesting.
HannibalBarka
We are Free
1001 Nights, The story of Shahrayar and Sherazade
Zarn
Le Républicain Catholique
Religous books aren't fantasy. Fantasy is known to be false. Religion has a chance to be true.
thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
I shouldn't have called religious writings fantasy. True or not, they do have solid grounds to be considered philosophical works.
Desmond Hawkins
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2002
- Messages
- 9,922
Fantasy, fiction, its really the same deal.
cgannon64
BOB DYLAN'S ROCKIN OUT!
Why Mein Kampf, except that a famous dictator wrote it?
I mean, does every person really need to know how the Jews messed up everything?
I mean, does every person really need to know how the Jews messed up everything?
Zarn
Le Républicain Catholique
It isn't fiction, either.
Learn to be more civil.
Sarevok
Civ3 Scenario Creator
Three Kingdoms!
amadeus
Apply directly to the forehead
I agree. I own a copy of Mein Kampf, and it is good by the standards of how to view the mindset of a genocidal dictator, but being good for everyone to read?
Uh, no.
thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
I've read Mein Kampf. Some parts are interesting, but Hitler rambles on almost incoherantly in others.
The biographical books about him probably give a much better idea of what he's about.
The biographical books about him probably give a much better idea of what he's about.
amadeus
Apply directly to the forehead
I liked "The Most Evil Men and Women in History." Some neat stuff in there.
For example, the French embassy complained to Idi Amin that the gunshots coming from his torture chambers were too loud and disrupting the embassy workers!
For example, the French embassy complained to Idi Amin that the gunshots coming from his torture chambers were too loud and disrupting the embassy workers!
Skullbones
Captain
The first book I thought of after reading the question was "Fahrenheit 451." So, that's what I'm going with.
Why? Uhm... I dunno... maybe [to] stress the importance of creative works.
Why? Uhm... I dunno... maybe [to] stress the importance of creative works.
Knowze Gungk
NOT a mushroom
Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything. It's kinda like the bible, except it is well written, easilly understandable, a pleasure to read and based on fact & deeply investigated hypotheses instead of ancient Sci-fi/fantasies.
The bible may contain good moral guidelines, but so does LOTR & Discworld. But unfortunately the bible teaches less moral guidelines than it spreads fear, paranoia, intolerance and crazy guys who hang around town waveing a book around & telling everyone they're going to hell. It's popularity only proves that a large chunk of the Earths human population are just a bunch of cowardly sheep.
The bible may contain good moral guidelines, but so does LOTR & Discworld. But unfortunately the bible teaches less moral guidelines than it spreads fear, paranoia, intolerance and crazy guys who hang around town waveing a book around & telling everyone they're going to hell. It's popularity only proves that a large chunk of the Earths human population are just a bunch of cowardly sheep.
It's a science fiction book by Robert Heinlein and not one of his best. The final section is about the immortal (and immoral) Lazarus Long who has lived so long that he's seen it all and is completely bored. His friends make a time machine so he can go back to before he was born and make love to his mother (who is pregnant with him). No, I am not making that up.
Actually, you are a little mistaken on some of that.
First off, it is the beginning of the book in which he is bored with life and is ready to end it. People who are part of his, well, group try and convince him to not suicide. He agrees, provided they can come up with something new for him to do.
In the end, he does indeed travel back in time. He does this as a 'fact finding' mission, and does indeed end up falling in love with his mother. Although, she is not pregnant with him, his younger self is about six years old.
But yes, he does indeed end up making love with his mother. In a later book he marries her. Not like we know marriage, but she becomes a member of his group marriage.
I love Heinlein. I truly do. But this ones a bit, okay, way, out there.
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