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The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
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review
kitapkurdu
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
Pickpick

The character development, the maintenance of the flow despite the time jumps…I am once again in love with LeGuin‘s ability to note the intricacies of that period, and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me of how 1984 was apparently banned in both the US and the USSR for spreading counter ideologies. This is definitely a book to be read over and over again and find new details, nuanced you probably missed the previous read.

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kitapkurdu
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

“He could not force himself to understand how banks functionaled and so forth, because all the operations of capitalism were as meaningless to him as the rites of a primitive religion, as barbaric, as elaboratr, and as unnecessary. In a human sacrifice to deity there might be at least a mistskrn and terrible beauty; in the rites of moneychangers, where greed, laziness and envy were assumed to move all men‘s acts, even the terrible became banal.”

quote
kitapkurdu
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

“The rest of us keep pretending we‘re happy or else just go numb. We suffer, but not enough. And so we suffer for nothing.”

review
RamsFan1963
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Mehso-so

16/150 I FINALLY finished January's #ClassicLSFBC selection. I'm not sure if the book was too high brow for my low brow tastes, but I found a great deal of the book mind numbingly boring. I didn't like Shevek as a character, he was cold, aloof and more interested in his physics theorems than in other people. I don't think I'd want to live on Anarres or Urras, they both were unpleasant places for different reasons. I'm probably missing ⬇️⬇️

RamsFan1963 some of the finer sociological, philosophical and political points the book was making, simply because I found the story so dull. 3 ⭐⭐⭐ 9mo
DieAReader 👋🏻👋🏻Next up🤓📚 9mo
See All 8 Comments
RamsFan1963 @DieAReader Yes my next fiction read is a 180 degree turn to a steampunk adventure starring Doc Holiday. 9mo
Ruthiella Fair assessment! Sorry this wasn‘t a win for you. 9mo
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella Not all books can appeal to every reader. That said, I'm enjoying the February/March selection for #ClassicLSFBC 9mo
Larkken I‘m still working on this from January, too 🤦🏻‍♀️ 9mo
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 9mo
54 likes8 comments
review
BookmarkTavern
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Mehso-so

Physicist Shevek has traveled to a new planet to develop a theory that would revolutionize the universe. He then finds himself embroiled in a civil war.

Le Guin‘s world building always astounds me. & the politics! So complex & flawed! Also loved the discussions of community, what we owe to the people around us, & morals. But I forget that sometimes her sci-fi gets a little dry for me. I need to read the rest of this series though. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

BookmarkTavern #ClassicLSFBC CW 👇🏻 (edited) 9mo
BookmarkTavern Chapter 2, brief mention of child abuse; Chapter 7, sexual assault; Chapter 9, police brutality 9mo
Ruthiella I loved the complexity and the flaws. Great review! 😃 9mo
72 likes3 comments
review
TheSpineView
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Bailedbailed

I read this book years ago and I remember feeling lukewarm about it back then. This time I couldn't even finish it. It was very slow and had a lot of political undertones. DNF at around 30%.

#ClassLSFBC @Ruthiella

RamsFan1963 Hopefully you'll enjoy Dhalgren more 9mo
54 likes2 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Question Two: The subtitle of the novel is “An Ambiguous Utopia”. What does that mean to you now after having read the book?

Follow up-would you rather live on Urras or Annares?

CatLass007 Years ago I learned that the word utopia was “invented” by an author for a book. I googled the word, and it was first coined by Sir Thomas More from the Greek words for “not” (oh) and place (topics). Literally, Utopia means “no place.” All the fictional utopias that will never come into existence are no place. 9mo
julesG @CatLass007 I learned about the literal meaning of "utopia" when I wrote my thesis about another book by Le Guin (a mere twenty years ago ? I'm officially old). It shocked me at first, but does make sense too. 9mo
julesG Does the subtitle fit? Yes. Can I explain why it works for me? Yes/No/Maybe? I'm not sure I can sort my thoughts into meaningful sentences. I might be able to comment though. Ambiguous, I know. 🙈 9mo
See All 11 Comments
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I think the conversation between Shevek and Keng (the Terran ambassador) at the end of the book sums it up pretty well. They can‘t agree on whether Urras is Hell or Paradise. I think it‘s important to remember that no two people agree 100% on everything and therefore I don‘t believe that a true utopia is achievable. Each person‘s own perspective molds whether they live in a utopia or not. Shevek prefers his utopia, but not everyone does. ⬇️ 9mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Both worlds have their flaws, especially their censorship. It may be Shevek‘s bias influencing me but from what I saw on Urras, they have less freedom of thought. That to me is more important than an easy life or physical comfort. I would choose Annares, it feels more hopeful. 9mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 That‘s a good point: all utopias are bound to be imperfect. 9mo
Ruthiella @julesG You bring up one thing I really love about Le Guin and about classic sci-fi in general - it‘s endlessly debatable and open for further thought. I may not come to a conclusion, but I like thinking about it. 9mo
Ruthiella @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm The freedom on Annares from work as a means to assure one‘s future (retirement, social security, home ownership, etc.) was really appealing to me. I really don‘t even care about owning books as long as there‘s a public library to access. I would pick it too as well, I think. But people who game the system like Sabul, would drive me nuts. (edited) 9mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Ruthiella Absolutely, Sabul really irked me. I felt towards the end though that Shevek and his friends had found a way around that a little bit. And him giving his theories to be broadcast to all the races in the solar system is, I think, another way for the people on each planet to subvert their established systems and communicate with like-minded peoples without the bureaucratic red tape. That‘s my naïve, optimistic hope at least. ? 9mo
kwmg40 I'm tempted to say I'd prefer Anarres because it seems to provide more freedom but when there's a scarcity of resources, there really isn't freedom at all. Shevek and friends are pressured into choices that they didn't truly want to make. 9mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Great insight. It makes me wonder if with more resources, if that kind of anarchic society could ever be maintained. 9mo
49 likes11 comments
blurb
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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I‘ll post a couple of questions, even though I‘m not sure how many people actually read the January pick. 😂

Question One: Le Guin chose to have a male protagonist. In what ways, however, did you find this to be a feminist novel, if at all?

Side note- did you like Shevek as a hero/protagonist?

CSeydel I confess I skipped this one to read my AuldLangSpine picks 🙃 But I‘m going to try to get back on the wagon for February!! 9mo
CatLass007 I tried it but I bailed. I tried reading LeGuin once when I was young. I think I read Earthsea when it was just a trilogy. But I can‘t be certain. Whatever I read just didn‘t ever click for me. This was before I learned that it wasn‘t necessary to finish every book I started, before I learned “The Art of the Bail,” before I understood that not finishing a book was nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to feel guilty about. More recently, (cont)⬇️ (edited) 9mo
CatLass007 I attributed my dislike of LeGuin to my lack of maturity in my thinking. Maybe my thinking still lacks maturity but I won‘t be reading anything else by her. 🤷‍♀️ 9mo
See All 20 Comments
Ruthiella @CSeydel No worries! 😉 9mo
Ruthiella @CatLass007 Not every book is for every reader! That‘s fair. 😃 9mo
CatLass007 @Ruthiella Before I joined Litsy I only remember ever bailing on one book. I feel like Litsy taught me how to bail. It had never seemed like an option before. 9mo
rwmg I've read it before twice, but I don't have my copy with me so I don't remember it well enough to comment 9mo
julesG I read lots of Le Guin Sci-fi 20 years ago when writing my thesis about feminism in Sci-fi novels. That does not mean I'm about to lecture here. I see some feminist aspects in the celebration of labour and sexual freedom on Anarres. Yet I can easily agree with some critics who see anti-feminist undertones in the novel, too. Like although women created the society on Anarres, they are secondary to the main character, Shevek. 9mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I didn‘t particularly feel it was anymore a feminist story than a humanist story. Though I‘m not known for being clever enough to pick up on feminist undertones, despite being female. It felt more to me like it was a story questioning a person‘s place in and responsibility to their community/society. Whether we can be so individualistic while still being part of a whole. I did like Shevek in the end, especially because he was flawed, not perfect 9mo
TheSpineView I read this one before and found it difficult. Actually read the whole series. However this time I just couldn't get into it. Not only was it slow going but the undertones were so political it made it even harder to read. Not sure if my tastes have changed that much or it was more of a mood thing. 9mo
majkia I read it several years ago and it was a DNF for me. I found it boring and dull. 9mo
Ruthiella @julesG Great points! I think the thing that stood out for me was the difference between how women were treated on Annares, with much more equality than we have even now in the west IMO, and on Urras which is more like how women were treated in the Victorian era - elevated but oppressed. 9mo
Ruthiella @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I agree with your take on it - the overall aim was more a look at how we are influenced by our society. Like, are we really free to act as we want or are we more constrained by our upbringing and belief systems than we‘re aware. I liked Shevek too even when his actions sometimes frustrated me. 9mo
Ruthiella @majkia @TheSpineView It sounds like you had a similar experience revisiting it. It‘s so fascinating how we change as readers with both time and experience! 9mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Ruthiella Yes, especially his actions with Vea. I get he‘s drunk for the first time, but there‘s no excuse. And then later when he reflects on that, it says something like, he forgave Vea her betrayal. I was like 👀 Bruh! 9mo
julesG @TheSpineView I didn't re-read it either, I admit. I dug out my (extensive) thesis notes - I am glad I had the foresight to keep, digitalise and cross-reference them (back when I thought I should go for a career in academia, before pursuing a different career in academia 🙄🙄). I'm sure I would have bailed this time round, too. 9mo
julesG I'm forever fascinated with how much of early Sci-fi has become reality, how accurate some of the predictions about the (near) future were, and how far off the mark and by that dated some of the classic Sci-fi stories are. It shows that even the wildest extrapolation of society is based in the author's contemporary culture/mindset and thereby hard to shake off. 9mo
kwmg40 I found this book challenging to read for many of the reasons already mentioned, such as the slow pace and the heavy political discourse. However, I did ultimately like it, as it was an interesting thought experiment, and I liked seeing the contrast between the two worlds. 9mo
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Do you think you would read more from Le Guin? Or is this enough of a taste? I‘ve only otherwise read The Left Hand of Darkness from her books for adults and I‘d say it‘s similarly slow and political. 9mo
kwmg40 @Ruthiella I would definitely read more from LeGuin. I too found The Left Hand of Darkness slow-paced and political but I still liked it very much. The worldbuilding and exploration of ideas make up for the weaknesses, IMO. Coincidentally, a local SFF book club I participate in chose The Lathe of Heaven this month, so I'm already reading more LeGuin, though I could have used a short break! 😅 9mo
39 likes20 comments
review
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Pickpick

4 ⭐️s
The beginning is a bit slow but boy that second half of the book flies by! I‘m much more used to action-packed sci-fi, so I wasn‘t expecting something so philosophical. But I loved it. The themes this book touches on are extremely relevant today. There were times I disliked Shevek, but overall I think he‘s a character that will rattle around comfortably in my brain for a long time. I‘m definitely hooked on this author now! ❤️
#ClassicLSFBC

Ruthiella Wow! You flew through that! 😃 I think, however you, @kwmg40 and I are the only ones who read it. Do you think I should post a couple discussion questions anyway? (edited) 9mo
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I'm almost finished, about 50 pages to go. 9mo
25 likes2 comments
blurb
RamsFan1963
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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1. Working after being off for a 3 day weekend. Looking forward to getting my new glasses so I'm not half blind.
2. The Dispossessed and The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel
3. Sarcastic, Introverted
Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView
#motivationalmonday @cupcake12

Cupcake12 Love the answer to no.3 Hope you have a good week x 9mo
TheSpineView You're welcome! 9mo
40 likes2 comments
blurb
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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My copy finally came in from the other library to mine! Let‘s see if I can get it read before February. 😅
#ClassicLSFBC

Ruthiella Wishing you luck! 🤞 9mo
35 likes1 comment
review
kwmg40
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Pickpick

This novel felt a little dated and had long passages of political theory that I didn't completely absorb, but otherwise, it was an excellent story contrasting two worlds that differed greatly in geography, social norms and political structure.

It gave me lots to thin about and I'm looking forward to the #ClassicLSFBC discussion. @RamsFan1963

kwmg40 This was my third and final book finished for #JoyousJanuary. Didn't meet all my goals but still happy with the progress. Thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting!

#BacklistReadathon @clwojick @TheAromaofBooks
#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin
#192025 #1974 @Librarybelle
#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 70: “Rookidee: Brave character“)

9mo
Librarybelle Yay! It fits quite a few prompts! 9mo
See All 6 Comments
Hooked_on_books I‘m finding that cover mesmerizing 🤩 9mo
BarbaraBB Still need to read this. 9mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 9mo
55 likes6 comments
quote
TheSpineView
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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#ClassicSciFiBookClub

Currently reading this for the book club.

review
Ruthiella
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Pickpick

Read for #ClassicLSFBC

The second novel that I‘ve now read from Le Guin‘s loosely connected Hainish Cycle. A thought experiment about what a pure anarchic culture might look like - pros & cons.

I love how this made me ponder about my culture and its benefits and limitations.

Shevek is a brilliant physicist from the splinter world of Annaraes where his brilliance is stifled but will he fare any better on the capitalist sister world of Urras?

RamsFan1963 I'm about 25% into this and I'm really enjoying it. The only other book I've read by Le Guin is The Left Hand of Darkness. 10mo
Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 That‘s the other Hainish Cycle book that I‘ve also already read. I loved it too. I have this on my bookshelf also, but so far unread 10mo
RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I remember watching a TV version of The Lathe of Heaven back in the late 70s. It's a very intriguing idea, it might end up on a #ClassicLSFBC selection. 10mo
See All 11 Comments
vivastory @Ruthiella @ramsfan1963 The Lathe Of Heaven is my favorite Le Guin that I have read so far (out of the 3 or 4 that I have read) 10mo
Ruthiella @vivastory Awesome! I‘ll look forward to it. There are some sci-fi authors where I‘m happy to have just read enough to get a taste or content only their most famous work(s), but with Le Guin, I kind of want to be a completist. 10mo
vivastory Same! Rocannon's World is on my #auldlangspine list from @larkken The edition I checked out from the library contains the first 3 novels in the Hainish series, so I plan on reading the entire volume. 10mo
Centique The only LeGuin ive read is the first Wizard of Earthsea book. I liked it but i wasnt hooked. Maybe i should try this cycle? 10mo
Ruthiella @Centique I have also read the first Earthsea book and found it just okay. Her books for adults have been far more interesting to me, if that‘s any help. 10mo
Centique @Ruthiella definitely helps! Thank you 😘 10mo
Larkken @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @vivastory I agree with the feeling of wanting to be a le Guin - completist. I had great plans to get beyond Rocannons World last year but kept seeing other shiny things. Glad #classiclsfbc is giving my another excuse to try. 🙃 10mo
Ruthiella @Larkken Absolutely that is what I like about Litsy read alongs; they make me pick up books I‘ve been meaning to read sooner! 10mo
65 likes11 comments
review
CatLass007
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Bailedbailed

I started this today for #ClassicLSFBC and #SeriesLove2024. I‘ve listened to about a quarter of the book and it leaves me cold. I read some trilogy or other by Ursula K. LeGuin in the 1970s, I think in high school. I don‘t know why I read the whole trilogy except that I hadn‘t yet learned the freedom of bailing on a book. So when this book was chosen for #ClassicSFBC I chalked my previous experience with the author to my immaturity, (cont)⬇️

CatLass007 expecting to enjoy this book. I didn‘t want the first book I started this year to be a negative experience and I think my decision to bail has kept me from having a negative experience. Now I can start something I will enjoy. Happy 2024 everyone!! I look forward to another great year of reading with my Litsy friends. 10mo
Ruthiella Too bad! But win some, lose some! Hope the next book is a winner. 10mo
CatLass007 @Ruthiella Right. Thank you. I hope so too. 10mo
See All 11 Comments
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm It took me too long to learn the wisdom of bailing on books. Life‘s too short to read something that you‘re not enjoying. ❤️ I‘m still waiting on my copy to come in at my library. Hopefully the wait isn‘t all for nothing for me. 😅 10mo
CatLass007 @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I used to never bail on books. I joined Litsy a few (six? seven?) years ago and was surprised, shocked, and awed that there was a special icon to click if I didn‘t complete a book. It was inconceivable to me to do such a thing. It is so liberating to be able, even encouraged, to move on to something else. The late, faabulous Leslie Jordan, on an episode of Call Me Kat quoted a song, which I think said “Thank you, next.” 10mo
CatLass007 @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I hope your library hold comes in soon and that you find the book entertaining and enlightening. 10mo
Andrew65 Oh no😫 but better to bail if it‘s not working for you. 10mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Same! Before Litsy I would always torture myself through every book I picked up. Thank you. If it doesn‘t meet my expectations I know just what to do with it. 😅🤣 10mo
CatLass007 @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Thank you Litsy! @Andrew65 You are so right! 10mo
TheSpineView Bummer. Too many good books out there to waste time on o e ypu dislike. 10mo
46 likes11 comments
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CatLass007
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Starting 2024 with The Dispossessed for #ClassicLSFBC. I have just discovered that it is part of a series, The Hainish Cycle, so I also am listening to it for #SeriesLove2024. Woo-hoo! Two birds with one stone.

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RamsFan1963
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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CatLass007 That‘ll work. 10mo
BookmarkTavern Woohoo! 10mo
See All 15 Comments
Ruthiella Nice! 👍 10mo
Lizpixie I don‘t think I‘m getting the notifications! I didn‘t see the voting at all🫣 10mo
TheSpineView I like the author and haven't read this one yet. 10mo
kwmg40 Looking forward to this one! 10mo
wanderinglynn @Lizpixie I don‘t think I got the notifications either. 🤷🏼‍♀️ But I like Le Guin, 👍🏻 10mo
RamsFan1963 @wanderinglynn @Lizpixie I'm sorry if you didn't get the notification. I know the day I was posting about the extra votes, I had to try like 4 times before i could finally get it to post, it kept saying it couldn't post now try again later. 10mo
wanderinglynn @RamsFan1963 no worries! I like Le Guin! 👍🏻👍🏻 10mo
Lizpixie @RamsFan1963 no problem sweetie, I realise the the app has occasionally had temper tantrums & refused to pass along your messages or even post that entry it promised would be up immediately!🎭That day being no exception. If it was a P.A they would‘ve been fired by now😂Nobody is blaming you😘♥️ 10mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm What is ClassicLSFBC? 10mo
RamsFan1963 @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm #ClassicLSFBC is a book club for older works of science fiction. It's open to everyone who wants to join in. We're reading The Dispossessed for January. There's also #LitsySciFiBookClub that tackles more contemporary works of science fiction. I can add you to the #ClassicLSFBC notification list if you want. 10mo
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Oooh, yes please! I tend to enjoy the older sci-fi more. ❤️ Thank you! 10mo
RamsFan1963 @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm You're welcome and you're added to the list. Welcome to #ClassicLSFBC 10mo
55 likes15 comments
quote
kgriffith
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Any other Littens on Substack? I‘m at Kirsten‘s Kitchen Table!

19 likes1 stack add
review
Daisey
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Pickpick

I don‘t tend to read a lot of science fiction, so although I enjoyed this, it‘s not something I would generally choose on my own. Following the life of the main character Shevek in his present and through flashbacks to his past, it describes life in two very different political worlds on two different planets. I thought Le Guin did an amazing job of clearly describing the good and bad of both societies.

#AuthorAMonth #1001books #audiobook

54 likes1 stack add
blurb
Larkken
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Hello, June! I‘ll be doing some traveling for work this month, so my kindle is already all loaded up with #aam, #sundaybuddyread, one of the #camplitsy reads, and #roll100 picks 🥰

I can‘t decide if I want to read the tagged for #AuthoraMonth, or if I want to go in the suggested order for the Hainish Cycle and start with Rocannon‘s World… UKLG says there are only loose connection among the books, and I own the tagged novel, sooo…

bnp If I were in your place, I think I'd start with one you own. Rocannon's world is fairly early, and I think it isn't considered one of her best. 1y
bnp Which one do you have? 1y
Larkken @bnp I have Dispossessed on kindle, maybe a few others in physical book form, and I‘m getting the “first three” from the cycle on library hold at some point. So I have options, lol! I‘ve read several in the series a long, long time ago, but I‘ve no idea which (except Left Hand, I remember that one!) so I‘m excited to get back into it. 1y
See All 10 Comments
bnp @Larkken LeGuin is one of my favorite authors. I think my favorites are Left hand of darkness, Dispossessed, and Lathe of heaven. Or any collection of essays. 1y
Megabooks Ooo! Enjoy traveling!! Looking forward to having you join us at the CL discussions! 1y
rwmg @bnp I preferred Semley's Necklace, the short story which was expanded to become Rocannon's World. 1y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
Larkken @bnp she‘s wonderful ! I usually gravitate to Ged but decided I wanted to get back into Hainish more 😊 1y
Larkken @rwmg ooo interesting that wasn‘t on my radar. Thanks!! 1y
25 likes10 comments
blurb
jenniferw88
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
46 likes1 comment
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Oryx
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Trying to read a few books from my shelves before I buy anything new... let's see how long I can last. This one is proving a strong read so far - we've got communism, captilism, political manoeuvring, a bit of a love story, some physics. It's all going on. Only my second Le Guin (after The Lathe of Heaven, which I really liked).

Caroline2 Oh I‘ve had this on my shelf for yearssss. Be interesting to hear what you think of it. 👍 2y
bnp Glad you're enjoying it. She's one of my favorite authors. 2y
TrishB I‘ve only read one- that lists sounds great! 2y
Follow.my.read I‘m trying to do the same, although I do have some on pre-order, but those don‘t count, right? #SorryNotSorry! 2y
Oryx @Follow.my.read totally - I have about 3 on pre-order and those definitely don't count 2y
65 likes2 stack adds5 comments
review
quietlycuriouskate
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Pickpick

If you want a damn good story with plenty to think about, Ursula Le Guin is a great choice.
Here are two companion worlds, one much like the contemporary West (declared a paradise by the Terran ambassador, whose Earth was wrecked by our current dominant culture) and the other a breakaway non-authoritarian communist society. Shevek is the scientist caught between them: regardless of ideology, people go on being the best and worst of themselves.

BarbaraBB Great review. Encouraging too. I‘ve been postponing reading this for years now. 2y
bnp What a cover! 2y
KathyWheeler I loved this book! 2y
33 likes3 stack adds3 comments
blurb
jen_hayes7
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Keeping cozy tonight with a couple of cats and a new book. It‘s my first foray into Ursula K. Le Guin and I‘m very excited. #lennox #huey #catsoflitsy

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Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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📖 The Dispossessed
✍️ Lord Dunsany
📺 Doctor Who
🧑‍🎤 David Bowie
🎶 Dream On (Aerosmith), Don't Fear the Reaper (Blue Öyster Cult)

#ManicMonday #LetterD @CBee

CBee Thanks for playing! My hubby loves LeGuin! 2y
32 likes1 comment
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faelinwolf
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Woo hoo! I made a lot of good progress in March & even got a bingo! My second this year! Hoping I can get another bingo in April! #BookSpinBingo

@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Great month!!! 3y
10 likes1 comment
quote
Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

"I used to want so badly to be different. I wonder why?"
"There's a point, around the age of twenty," Bedap said, "when you have to choose whether to be like everybody else the rest of your life, or to make a virtue of your peculiarities."
"Or at least accept them with resignation," said Shevek.

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Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

"A body-profiteer," Takver called women who used their sexuality as a weapon in a power-struggle with men. To look at her, Vea was the body-profiteer to end them all. (...) She was so elaborately and ostentatiously a female body that she seemed scarcely to be a human being.

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Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

"You can't crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them. By refusing to think - refusing to change."

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Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

"But what," Oiie said abruptly, as if the question, long kept back, burst from him under pressure- "What keeps people in order? Why don't they rob and murder each other?"
"Nobody owns anything to rob. If you want things you take them from the depository. As for violence, well, I don't know, Oiie; would you murder me, ordinarily? And if you felt like it, would a law against it stop you? Coercion is the least efficient means of obtaining order."

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Leniverse
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

'There were walls around all his thoughts, and he seemed utterly unaware of them though he was perpetually hiding behind them.'

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OutAndAbout
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

The idea is like grass. It craves light, likes crowds, thrives on cross breeding, grows better for being stepped on.💡

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OutAndAbout
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Today‘s moment of serendipity. The Data Detective was describing how statistics are often presented with too limited information for you to understand context and therefore usefulness.
At the same time, Shevek & friends were discussing whether the other world they see from afar could be different than what they are told in history classes. Not that anyone is lying but only that they know only what they‘ve been told, which could be outdated.

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OutAndAbout
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin

New book for my #tbr. Found through this list:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alliehayes/books-that-changed-lives-reddit

"If you've ever wondered how to reconcile a desire for freedom and a desire to support the common good, look no further."

An author I haven‘t read yet and really should have.

bnp Hope you enjoy. She's been one of my faves for a long time. 4y
Bradleygirl 👍👍👍 also pointing at this one bc #swoon 4y
OutAndAbout @Bradleygirl thanks for suggesting. I noticed a lot of folks preferred that one. Hopefully I enjoy this one enough to try a second! 4y
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BookmarkTavern Le Guin is one of those authors that, if I could develop book amnesia so I could read a book for the first time again, I‘d pick hers. ❤️ I hope you enjoy it! Also, totally seconding the recommendation for Left Hand! 👍🏻 (edited) 4y
OutAndAbout @ozma.of.oz thanks for the tip. That means I need to make sure I have lots of open reading time when I pick it up so I can wallow in the experience! 4y
OutAndAbout @ozma.of.oz by the way, if you haven‘t read The Rose Code and enjoy some historical fiction, there‘s an “Ozma of Oz” reference! 4y
BookmarkTavern Sounds great! I‘ll have to check to see if my library has a copy! 👍🏻 4y
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Moray_Reads
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Pickpick

I didn't love this the way I loved The Left Hand of Darkness but that doesn't mean it isn't brilliant. Le Guin mixes complex philosophical and political ideas with theoretical physics and phenomenal writing to create another story that ultimately asks what makes us human #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

vivastory I really need to read more le Guin. I often think about 4y
Moray_Reads @vivastory also brilliant. I think I've only read the, LHoD, the Dispossessed and Lathe if Heaven. Plus Earthsea many years ago 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
Clare-Dragonfly Perfect way to describe this book: not lovable like other Le Guin but brilliant. I should read it again… 4y
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Moray_Reads
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Moray_Reads
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Moray_Reads
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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breadnroses
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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second book of the year takes its place as one of, if not my favorite novel of all time 🙂 there are such strong flashes of benjamin in this story — the overcoming of empty, homogenous time; the messianic revolutionary figure; the pursuit of tikkun olam/olamot — that i wonder if his work was a source of inspiration for le guin?

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BestDogDad
The Dispossessed: A Novel | Ursula K. Le Guin
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Pickpick


This novel is classic science fiction at its best. It checks all the boxes: great world building, interesting characters, fascinating social commentary, two concurrent plots that never lag or get boring, and on and on. The technology may have seemed advanced when this was written in the mid-1970s but we've since passed most of what is portrayed. I stayed up past my bedtime often to read this, it was hard to put down.

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Exbrarian
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Barely a pick. Just finished this one for a virtual book club that I host for some IRL friends. This book has won ALL the awards and I am very well versed in anarchist philosophy but the book barely moved my interest meter. Plenty worth discussing for a book club so that's a win, but it's just a very lukewarm entertainment experience.

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rwmg
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
Pickpick

Shavek, a physicist working on a grand unified theory of time, leaves the anarcho-socialist not-quite utopia of Anarres for the “propertarian“, “archist“ societies of its sister planet Urras hoping to find a more intellectually stimulating environment so that he can complete his work and to act as a bridge between the Anarresti and their Urrasti origins in order to continue the revolution. 👎

rwmg The chapters alternate between Shavek's experiences once he arrives on Urras and his life on Anarres up to his departure, perhaps a literary demonstration of the unification of Simultaneity and Sequentiality in his work. 👎 4y
rwmg The descriptions of the two ways of life are engrossing even if the anarcho-socialists on Anarres seem quite dated now, very 60s-ish. Or is that just my age? Somehow it's much easier to accept dated views of technology in SF than dated views of social change. Having said that, the way Le Guin follows the ideas to their logical conclusion and explores how human nature would or would not change is well worth reading and thinking about. 4y
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rwmg
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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rwmg
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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rwmg
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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kgriffith
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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“Dead anarchists make martyrs, you know, and keep living for centuries. But absent ones can be forgotten.”

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kgriffith
The Dispossessed | Ursula K. LeGuin
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Even pain counts.