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Oct 06, 2015Tony_Jeffers rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If you think you already know the story of this book because you saw the movie, you couldn't be more wrong. This book was actually written in the 1950s in spite of the 2010 date indicated in the inaccurate description which appears to be based on the plot of the movie rather than this original book. This book was considered a Science Fiction Classic decades before the screen play of the movie was written. I was disappointed in the movie because the Starship Troopers don't use the incredible power suites they have in the book. Years before Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Invincible Ironman kids could read about similar suits in Starship Troopers. To describe just how powerful these suites were Heinlein says that if a gorilla and a trooper wearing one of these suites had a bearhug contest it would be no match the gorilla would not just lose he would be crushed to a plup(only an example to try to illustrate the strength of the suit don't worry no gorillas are harmed in this story in fact there are not actually any gorillas in the story)! There seems to be a lot of comments about this book. I am glad young readers are still reading it. I've read Robert A. Heinlein's commentaries and readers should not assume that he actually wanted to create a militaristic society. He always had one goal in mind and that was to cause his readers to THINK! It has been over 40 years since I read this book and to this day the ideas put forward in it are still with me. This book Starship Troopers was not just a SciFi war book. As indeed the first such book War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was not. The social purpose of STARSHIP TROOPERS was about the nature of Democracy! I have read shorter essays on this subject by Heinlein and he was concerned with a deterioration in the quality of American citizenship. This is commonly now referred to as "The Dumbing Down of America." He didn't think that necessarily only military veterans should have the Right to vote and participate in government but he and many others even to this day felt that people should have to do 'something' to become qualified for full citizenship. In the United States naturalised citizens have to earn their citizenship they have to be residents in good standing for 3 years then they have to pass a test to prove they are knowledgable about US History and understand how our government works. Then they have to take an oath swearing allegiance to their new nation. Even then they are still not the same as born citizens though they can now vote they can lose their citizenship for committing certain crimes and they can never hold the office of President of the United States. Born citizens on the other hand don't have to do anything they already did the only thing required: Be born inside the borders of the United States. On their 18th birthday they can register to vote all they have to do is prove they were born in the United States. They don't even have to take an oath! Heinlein argues that EVERYONE should have to "EARN" the Right to be a citizen. In the distant future of STARSHIP TROOPERS the Earth is in an interstellar war and needs all the military personnel it can get. But the philosophy of these future people makes the idea of a draft unthinkable only people willing to do their part are worthy to be citizens. In my opinion however I think Heinlein need not have worried since in our nation voting is not compulsory only those that want to vote, vote. So it seems that only those willing to do their part are voting and participating in government after all Mr. Heinlein. StarGladiator's comments are very good I hope you read them as well.