Stranger in a Strange Land
Valentine Michael Smith is born on Mars and raised by Martians after the first human expedition dies, then is brought back to Earth as a young man who has never known human society. Seeing everything fresh, from money and government to jealousy and religion, he begins to question and then transform the world around him, eventually founding a movement of his own. Robert Heinlein uses Smith's outsider eyes to satirize politics, organized religion, and sexual mores, and the book became a touchstone of 1960s counterculture, even adding the word grok to English. It remains one of the most discussed science fiction novels ever written. Tim Ferriss lists it among his top fiction books for non-fiction readers.
Also by Robert A. Heinlein
All works by Robert A. Heinlein →What you might want to know about Stranger in a Strange Land
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A human raised by Martians returns to Earth as an adult and, seeing human customs as a complete outsider, begins to reshape them.
Grok is a word Robert Heinlein invented in this novel. It means to understand something so deeply and completely that it becomes part of you. The word has since entered everyday English.
It questions organized religion, government, and conventional attitudes toward sex and ownership, which made it both influential and divisive, especially in the 1960s.
Stranger in a Strange Land was written by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1961 by Putnam.
Stranger in a Strange Land is 528 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Stranger in a Strange Land takes most readers 8 to 11 hours to finish.
Stranger in a Strange Land is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.