"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein

Goodreads Synopsis:
Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.


My Review:
This book definitely gives you a lot to chew on. Or should I say grok? The main character, Michael, is very endearing for the first half of the book. As he begins to better understand humans and acclimates to their ways, I think he loses some of the innocence that makes him so likable in the beginning. But throughout the book, his curiosity and bafflement of human mores & nature give the reader a fresh and enlightening perspective on how we view things.

Within the character of the Man from Mars, Heinlein, with sharp observation and relevant questions, creates an opportunity for people to truly step back and LOOK at humanity. To ask ourselves WHY do we think this, WHY do we believe that? And the questions are presented through an innocent, almost child-like, man.

As the story progresses, Michael tries to understand our views on sex and religion. Still confused after several years, he creates his own set of beliefs and his own lifestyle that quickly gains loyal followers.

My favorite part of this book? The word GROK. Heinlein does such a thorough job using this word and its variations that it becomes a part of the reader's vocabulary. And it's such a great word. Even after finishing, I still catch myself using it. That will be the biggest thing I take away from this book.

Just a warning: This book was published in the 1960's. There are definite sexist & homophobic remarks. There is one use of the word, "n-gg--," by characters that were painted in an extremely ignorant light. The sexism & homophobia, however, were not painted in an ignorant light. These opinions seemed to be the natural mindset of the author and, I'm sure, of his readers at the time it was written. 

I would urge you to ignore it. Discard it. (I reached a point where I got really frustrated with certain comments. Almost quit reading). It's a shortcoming of the writer and of society during that period. There are many other GREAT things to take away from this book if you can get past these particular issues.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Heinlein served as an officer in the Navy and, later, went on to work in several different occupations such as real estate sales and silver mining.

Favorite Quotes: 

"He was not in a hurry, "hurry" being one human concept he had failed to grok at all. He was sensitively aware of the key importance of correct timing in all acts — but with the Martian approach: correct timing was accomplished by waiting. He had noticed, of course, that his human brothers lacked his own fine discrimination of time and often were forced to wait a little faster than a Martian would — but he did not hold their innocent awkwardness against them; he simply learned to wait faster himself to cover their lack."

"His idea is that whenever you encounter any other grokking thing — he didn't say 'grokking' at this stage — any other living thing, man, woman, or stray cat… you are simply encountering your 'other end'… and the universe is just a little thing we whipped up among us the other night for our entertainment and then agreed to forget the gag."

Keeping Heart on Pine Ridge by Vic Glover

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Cruise down the back roads of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in this bold anthology of real-life stories. Creative writer Vic Glover lays bare the challenges, history, bonds, and rich traditions that infuse the stark reality of life on the "rez." Glover introduces readers to his friends, family, and neighbors, inviting us into his private world with a trace of amusement and a poignant honesty that grabs you from the opening line and never lets go.

My Thoughts:
This book is a memoir of sorts of Vic Glover's (Oglala Lakota) life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. While only being 157 pages, I had to read this book in increments that stretched over a couple of months. Not because it was written poorly or because it wasn't interesting, but because it was a lot to take in and I wanted to process what I was reading. The book is written in short 2-4 page stories that don't have to necessarily be read in order. Each story covers an aspect of reservation life that the author ties in with his own memories. While brief, each story packs its own punch and will leave you chewing on it long after you've finished it. Some will even have you coming back to read again.

This is not, however, a book that takes the form of a lecture intended to make its readers feel guilty for their cushier lifestyle. Glover is unapologetic in his honesty and yet humble in his tone. He infuses each memory with a refreshing sense of humor making the reader feel as if they are a part of his circle. And his circle contains a wide variety of people, whether they're old friends from the reservation or people from other countries flying to South Dakota to participate in a sweat lodge. There is, throughout the book, an undercurrent of death and tragedy. You'll be reading a light-hearted story about people in his tribe and then, in one sentence, he'll mention someone's death and it's like an anvil dropping. Those are the moments that make you want to take your time with this book. You will get an insider's view into life on one of the poorest reservations in the United States. This is a perspective that needs to be known.

My Favorite Quotes:
"There are four cardinal virtues among the Lakota: Honesty. Courage. Humility. Generosity. A chief should possess and have refined them all. Some of the people have cultivated and mastered these elements of character, like the Old Man and Uncle Joe, the walking epitome of humility. Humility defeats pride. It dissipates defense mechanisms. It teaches us silence."

"You could say that many of us living up here have given up on the American dream, because we find that the values extolled and pursued by commercial, consumer-driven American society, in and of themselves are illusory, mythological, essentially empty, and selfishly unfulfilling. Where in American culture is the heart?"

I couldn't find any photos of Vic Glover, but here is some information on him from the back of the book: Vic Glover is a Vietnam vet combat medic, a former journalist, and professor of communication. He writes humor, political satire, and social commentary from his home on Pine Ridge Reservation.

***Check out the photography of Aaron Huey, a photojournalist who spent 8 years documenting life on the Pine Ridge Reservation: http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/02/20/aaron_huey_photographs_the_pine_ridge_reservation_in_south_dakota_in_his.html