It is ambiguous. I went in expecting another sci-fi socialist propoganda novel, self righteously smart because aliens are in it. But this isn't that...it's actually smart. All the aliens are actually humans, for one thing, and every form of government is represented, and all of them have problems. Very thought provoking. ( )

I read this for a sociology class, which definitely gave me an interesting way to appreciate the worlds Le Guin constructed. Perhaps I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't had that sociologist's viewpoint in mind as I read, but it is a great exploration of the thin line between utopia and dystopia. Neither of the worlds she creates (one anarchist, one capitalist) ends up being as perfect and functioning as they set out to be (no surprises there). But what I liked most was her exploration of the idea of appreciating creativity. Do anarchist "utopias" by necessity exclude the possibility for innovation and creativity, due to the strict adherence to equality that they must maintain? And do capitalist free markets ultimately necessitate the creation of a low bottom rung of society by lifting the creative innovators up so high? Compelling, if disillusioning thoughts. ( )

This story follows the life of Shevek, starting as a young man and up through his career as a physicist. He lives on the desert moon Anarres, which orbits his people's homeworld, Urras. Being followers of Odo, an anarchist leader now deceased, his people exiled themselves (?) to the moon to start a utopia; they are the dispossessed. Shevek has big ideas that are of no use in a pre-conceived society and looks for a way to contribute to all people in his square of the universe.
The book is more intellectual than spiritual and not a real fun read. Most characters are living in a state of quiet desperation. The utopian situation is interesting, but the people there are very robotic and unquestioning.
The Perennial Classics edition I read contained many, many mistakes in spelling and editing. I felt like someone had typed this up in 1974, no one proofread it, and no one has made any corrections since then. It's very annoying to read a book with this many printing errors. This problem was a contributor to my 3 star rating. ( )

The Dispossessed is a utopian science fiction novel.

The premise deals with a conflict between two groups: those of A-Io, and those of Thu, mirroring cold war-era USA and USSR, respectively.

The plot centers around Shevek, who is trying to work on his Grand Temporal Theory while the twin planets of Anares and Urras morph and crumble.

Part of the larger Hainish Cycle, Le Guin gives us a glimpse of these lesser known worlds.

Recommended for fans of Le Guin's other works. ( )

Long after I closed this book for the night and lay waiting for sleep to catch up with me, I thought what I’d read, about the ideas posed by the novel’s premise and characters, and the implications for my own life and our society. That’s a sign of a book that’s definitely worth reading.

The story is set in the future on a distant planet, Urras, and its moon, Anarres. The culture on Urras is similar to ours: capitalist, competitive, with a huge gap between haves and have-nots. One hundred and fifty years ago in Urras’ history, a group of anarchists rebelled against this way of life. They settled on — or were exiled to, depending on your point of view — Anarres, a desert world where they built a subsistence society based on the premises of no government and no ownership of private property.

Despite the difficulties of their environment, life on Anarres is like a simple Eden. No one goes hungry while others eat. No one goes without a sheltered place to sleep at night. People work and study at what they, travel where and when they want, and everyone communally shares the necessary but non-glamorous jobs. Without commercialism to occupy them, people spend their time working, learning and socializing. Even an eight-hour workday is considered unusually long. ( )