Book Description
Centuries ago, the moon Anarres was settled by utopian anarchists who left the Earthlike planet Urras in search of a better world, a new beginning. Now a brilliant physicist, Shevek, determines to reunite the two civilizations that have been separated by hatred since long before he was born.
The Dispossessed is a penetrating examination of society and humanity -- and one man's brave undertaking to question the unquestionable and ignite the fires of change.
Customer Reviews:
Physics, Governments, Relationships & LeGuin's Perfection.......2007-06-18
Ursula LeGuin is one of my favorite writers and I just re-read this novel (in my early 40s, around the age of Shevek, the protagonist) after having read it the first time about 20 years before. The Dispossessed is a startlingly ambitious and perfect novel. On its face, the novel is about a physicist from a world of self-exiled anarchists (Anarres) who decides to travel to the "propertarian" (capitalistic) mother planet (Urras), both to complete his life's work of reconciling two contradictory theories of physics (Sequency and Simultaneity) and to tear down the walls between his society and the Urrasti world left behind.
One of LeGuin's remarkable achievements is her conception of an anarchistic society, something that has never existed in history. LeGuin fleshes out a world of 20 million anarchists, explaining how the people of such a society might live and love, how such a large community could function without a government. But this novel is so much more than a writer's imagining of functional anarchism. This novel is not really about politics, it is about love and the nature of human interaction.
The life work of the protagonist is to reconcile Sequency -- time as linear, history as progress -- with Simultaneity -- time as instaneous, history as cyclical. Similarly, Shevek tries to reconcile his society of Anarres, where there is no government oppression or inequality but also where individuality is stifled and creativity devalued, with Urras, where there is unjust distribution of power and wealth but also great beauty and achievement. LeGuin tells Shevek's tale in two different time arcs, a linear progression through Shevek's journey to Urras and the events there, and a looping back through Shevek's life from infancy to reach the beginning of Shevek's journey at the end of the novel. LeGuin writes the novel in two chronologies as if to highlight Shevek's struggle with reconciling the two theories of Time. This literary device works brilliantly, as the reader rushes through the novel not only to find out what happens to Shevek while in Urras but also to find out why Shevek chose to leave Anarres for the journey.
Underneath it all, LeGuin is not just trying to reconcile competing conceptualizations of time, or to decide what is the best way for people to govern themselves, but rather to harmonize the contradictions that exist within human nature. We are all "propertarians," as LeGuin demonstrates simply and beautifully early in the novel with a heartbreaking passage in which Shevek as a toddler is enjoying warmth and sunlight flowing through an open window, trying to "possess" the sunlight, only to have a larger boy shove him aside. We are all anarchists as well, disregarding government mandates for the sake of personal choices. Humans are both greedy and altruistic, inclined both to take and to help, to hate and to love. LeGuin settles on love as the human constant, the key variable in the equation of human interaction, but does not presume to define love, only describe aspects of it. LeGuin shows us that trying to understand human nature, and reconcile its contradictions, is easily as difficult as trying to construct fundamental principles of the physical Universe and reconciling the conflicts in our perceptions of reality. Following Shevek as he finds his own answers to both is a rewarding journey. This is a great novel.
No bosses, no bankers, no owners, no wars..........2006-08-03
There is no better work of fiction that describes what a society based on true anarchy might be like. You soon see that it certainly would not be chaos. That is because a society without leaders and laws is not a society without order- it is just that the order comes from within. That is true order. People work and sacrifice because they recognize that it is in everybody's best interest. Society should be brotherhood of equals, a big family. In a sense, the world of Anarres reminded me of one great farm where family members realize from an early age that they are needed for work that must be done. Either that, or I would describe it as an old-style kibbutz on a planetary scale. It isn't a perfect system. Vigilance is needed to make sure that unofficial tyranny from peer pressure and individual corruption do not set in, but it comes across as workable and believable.
As for her sister world, Urras, it is a place of both the plutocratic-oligarchic state, as well as, the centralized communist dictatorship, locked in perpetual struggle. It is a world where men are forced and coerced to obey their leaders. It is our world. Urras is archism, Anarres is anarchism. You are forced to examine first hand the fundamental differences. It is the difference between a society of true individuals and a society of slaves.
The hero, Shevek, is both a physicist and a philosopher. His was a mind capable of reconciling not only the seeming incompatibility of the simultaneous and sequential nature of time, but also of the conflicting drives of human nature. Both required the freedom of mind of a true revolutionary.
I first read this novel over 25 years ago. It came as a shock to me to realize how much I must have internalized the character of Shevek.
If you thought Sci-Fi is only about the future..........2006-02-26
It's long been known that since the advent of science fiction, man kind's greatest inventions were foretold in books and stories. In recent decades the focus of this genre has shifted from technology to sociology and psychology. This book, though published more than 30 years ago, is a prime example of how relevant this kind of writing is to our lives today. Even more importantly, with corporation-led globalization, and the protest and antagonism that it breeds, the lessons of this book are becoming more important by the day. The boundary between Utopia and Distopia is never clear (especially in LeGuin's writings), and this story serves to emphasize the differences between a couple of tracks we as a race may choose to follow. Never unbiased, LeGuin takes a strong moral stand, and brings some convincing arguments toward her case. Still, this is a very enjoyable read, but take care- it will make you think more than you might want to.
Worth the read.......2006-01-19
"The Dispossessed" was not an "easy" read, as I personally find much SF to be. And it is not quite typical for all SF (less about the technology and more about the politics.) The writing is extremely detailed and, frankly, a bit dry. In some ways for much of the book, it seemed like very little was happening and I didn't quite enjoy it. But then once I'd put it down for the night, I'd think about the characters and the plot and ideas and liked them...And I *really* enjoyed the story once I was done reading it, and have found that it has helped inform my thinking about other texts and subjects. In short - worth the read if you're into politics, relationships, life, questioning, etc.
Viva Shevek!.......2005-08-07
Like her Left Hand Of Darkness, Le Guin's Dispossessed is a sharp commentary on the insanities of human society. Yet what has stayed with me over the years since I first met Shevek is the integrity of this truly good man who stands firm in what he believes. While Le Guin pulls no punches when it comes to deprivation and human pain, I finished the book with a sense of hope for a hopeless world.
Book Description
This innovative cultural critique offers valuable insights into science fiction, thus enlarging our understanding of critical theory.
Carl Freedman traces the fundamental and mostly unexamined relationships between the discourses of science fiction and critical theory, arguing that science fiction is (or ought to be) a privileged genre for critical theory. He asserts that it is no accident that the upsurge of academic interest in science fiction since the 1970s coincides with the heyday of literary theory, and that likewise science fiction is one of the most theoretically informed areas of the literary profession. Extended readings of novels by five of the most important modern science fiction authors illustrate the affinity between science fiction and critical theory, in each case concentrating on one major novel that resonates with concerns proper to critical theory.
Freedman's five readings are: Solaris: Stanislaw Lem and the Structure of Cognition; The Dispossessed: Ursula LeGuin and the Ambiguities of Utopia; The Two of Them: Joanna Russ and the Violence of Gender; Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand: Samuel Delany and the Dialectics of Difference; The Man in the High Castle: Philip K. Dick and the Construction of Realities.
Customer Reviews:
Critical Theory needs critical response.......2002-05-01
It's amazing that people can judge a book by reading excerpts on the net. Critical Theory and Science Fiction is not an easy read but CT never was or will be. You don't have to agree with the Marxist theories of Bloch and Adorno, Carl Freedman uses to make his various points, to appreciate his insights and the challenges he throws at the reader. That is what academics are supposed to do and not to wallow in old cliche's and easy answers. The "excursuses" (his term) into classic SF novels such as Stanislaw Lem's SOLARIS, Ursula Le Guin's THE DISPOSSESSED, Joanna Russ' THE TWO OF THEM, Samuel Delany's STARS IN MY POCKET LIKE GRAINS OF SANDS and the greatest SF writer, Philip K Dick's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE are lessons every SF reader and writer should make their own. At least Freedman is raising the level of SF discourse beyond Star Trek Convensions or Star Wars hype.
Book Description
"How can I tell him that he will never find her, after he has been searching for her all his life? If I could talk to him without breaking his heart, there is something I would tell him, in hopes it would stop his sleepless nights and wrongheaded search for a shadow. I would repeat this to him: 'Your Matilde Lina is in limbo, the dwelling place of those who are neither dead nor alive.' But that would be like severing the roots of the tree that supports him. Besides, why do it if he is not going to believe me."
In the midst of war, the protagonists of A Tale of the Dispossessed are continuously searching: for a promised land, a destiny, the face of a woman who has disappeared -- searching for an impossible love and, conversely, for a love that is possible.
A way station for refugees from violence is the setting for an intense love triangle in which an uprooted and wandering people lead the reader to experience the collective drama of forced relocation. A Tale of the Dispossessed speaks to us about the inexorable law that has led man, expelled from paradise since the days of Adam through to modern times, in his search for a way back home.
Average customer rating:
- Priest, Book 10
- priest is the best graphic novel out there
- muy bueno
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Priest: Strain of the Dispossessed, Vol. 13 (Priest)
Min-woo Hyung
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
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Priest Volume 16: Zealot's March (Priest (Tokyopop))
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Priest, Book 9
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Priest, Vol. 6
ASIN: 1591825148 |
Book Description
Ivan wrestles with his demons through the mysterious town of Windtale, the hint of death wafting over all its corrupt citizens... But a horror more haunting than any dark entity lingers over the town. When a tragic misunderstanding fuels an out-of-control mob, an unholy terror is about to be unleashed unto humanity. "I had no idea that this title called Priest would forever change how I read and enjoy sequential art storytelling." -Jared Pine, animeondvd.com "The art is superb with an excellent use of gore which, amazingly, didn't seem overdone despite the fact that almost every page features a violent and bloody death." -Sheena McNeil, Sequential Tart
Customer Reviews:
Priest, Book 10.......2007-06-27
This book arrived in a timely manner and I had no problems with this vendor. I would use them again.
priest is the best graphic novel out there.......2007-01-10
priest has been consistant with its filling of excitment and suspense. i, personally, am not a big reader, i dont read many books at all and one day i bought priest vol. 1 and was hooked. it brings up questions which people have always wanted to ask, but keep silent, but aswell as giving an amazing plot, the drawings and constant action keeps the readers wanting more and expecting nothing but the greatest. with priest vol 15 that is just what happened. although not amazingly action packed, it did supply the reader with enough information to get them caught back up with the story, and it ended by getting the readers ready for possibly min-woo-hyung's best novel of priest yet. this story is gripping and thrilling, and i would suggest anyone who is into western action, with a religious touch, to pick up this graphic novel and give it a try.
muy bueno.......2006-06-16
well if you're looking for volume 14 you probably already know this is a good manga... oh well. this is a very unique manga, in the story & the art. the cover art is always amazing & inside the book it is just as striking. 'priest' doesn't have tones everywhere for shading; the creator said in an interview in one of the books that toned mangas all look somewhat alike & he wanted something different. i'd say he succeeded in that.
Average customer rating:
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Orwell and the Dispossessed (Penguin Modern Classics)
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0141185198 |
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- Riveting story
- SPOILER WARNING
- Fast read!
- Hero and heroine
- A GREAT, GREAT BOOK
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For All Their Lives
Fern Michaels
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Michaels, Fern | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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Michaels, Fern | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0345365925
Release Date: 1992-07-20 |
Book Description
A tale of love amid war, of love against all odds, as a beautiful half-French, half-American nurse and the idealistic officer she loves struggle to survive in the chaos of Vietnam . . .
Customer Reviews:
Riveting story.......2007-09-18
I have all of Fern Michaels' books and I do not take the rating system lightly. This particular story provided so much insight into the Vietnam war and the medical personnel who had to work in such heat and primitive conditions to help our wounded. I just finished the book yesterday and read through most of the night.
SPOILER WARNING.......2006-06-29
I can not emphasize how much I hated this book! I used to really love reading romance novels and the plot outline drew me into reading this book some years ago after I saw it on the shelf in a bookstore. Frankly, I felt extremely let down by the author to have been drawn into this tale only to find out that there was not the expected "happy ending". The writing was very well done and the story kept my attention all the way through but I just felt really betrayed to have been led to feel for these characters throughout the entire story and to spend my personal time reading this book only to find out that the lovers do not end up together. It was really a MAJOR disappointment!! I have never read another book by this author after that because I did not appreciate the author's attitude to not give readers the "closure" they were obviously expecting. That really ruined it and made me angry that I even wasted my time reading the story to begin with. This author must be rather perverse to enjoy disappointing the readers in this way. In my opinion such people should not be even writing romance novels but should be in some other genre. Romance readers EXPECT there to be a "happily ever after".
Fast read! .......2005-10-01
This book is not as good as her Kentucky or Texas series. I had the outcome figured out pretty quickly. It is a quick read though and fairly interesting.
Hero and heroine.......2005-08-26
I have read several novels of Fern Michaels, and I do believe this is one of her best; however, I have to admit I was frustrated at the ending with Casey and Mac. But in trying to discover where Michaels was coming from, I realized that Casey would never have broken up Mac's marriage because of the little girl. Casey never knew her Father, and she would never beable to live with taking a father away from a child. I became aware that Casey, also was no longer angry or felt rejected since she left her money to the Foundation for Down syndrome children, and she told Lily's boy he had the best father Lily could have picked for him. Deep in their hearts, they both want to run off with each other, but know they could never do so without huring their spouses and children. Once I realized the depth of the characters, the ending became more real!
A GREAT, GREAT BOOK.......2001-12-13
I read this book many years ago. This is the first one that I said I will NEVER get rid of. It is excellent reading.
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A God For All Seasons: Encouragement For Women Who Juggle Their Lives
Sue Haydon-Knowell
Manufacturer: Kregel Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1854244809 |
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Women Who Loved Elvis All Their Lives
Fleda Brown , and
Fleda Brown Jackson
Manufacturer: Carnegie-Mellon University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0887484034 |
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All of their lives
Myron Brinig
Manufacturer: Farrar and Rinehart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006AP8PQ |
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All the Days of Their Lives
Betty McInnes
Manufacturer: Severn House Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0727858580 |
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The Diabetic Man: A Guide to Health and Success in All Areas of Your Life : With Advice, Empathy, and Support for Those Who Have a Diabetic Man in Their Lives
Peter A. Lodewick ,
June Biermann , and
Barbara Toohey
Manufacturer: Contemporary Books
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Binding: Paperback
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Clif Bar Nutrition Bars, Crunchy Peanut Butter, 2.4-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12)
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
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ASIN: 1565654390 |
Book Description
Foremost lay experts team up with the renowned diabetic specialist to address unique problems that plague the man with diabetes. This newly revised edition includes up-to-date information on areas such as psychology, nutrition, sports, work, and sex.
Product Description
A tale of love and war.
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- The Dreyfus Affair: A Love Story
- The Fortress of Solitude
- The God of Small Things
- The Haunting of Hip Hop: A Novel
- The Human Stain: A Novel
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