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Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue With His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve (2010)

by William H. Patterson Jr.(Favorite Author)

4.07 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0765319608 (ISBN13: 9780765319609)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Tor Books

review 1: OK, so I read volume 1 after I read volume 2. This one takes Heinlein up till 1948, when he marries his third wife, Virginia. Heinlein washes out of the Navy as a young man because of tuberculosis, and tries his hands in politics in California. He's very liberal, and is actually working for Sinclair Lewis, who was before running for California Governor, a Socialist. Politics isn't very successful for him, so he turns to writing, and science fiction fits the bill. As Vol 2 did, this book ably chronicles the writing of many of his stories, but beyond talking about some disagreements with editors, does not delve deeply into his techniques and themes; it's not a literary biography. There's more in this book about Heinlein's sexual life (his open marriages) than the second volu... moreme did, but more in the notes at the end of the book than in the text itself. This is fascinating stuff, mostly because Heinlein's nudism and certain open attitudes about sex were pretty key to his fiction. Still, I read these books pretty quickly, because many of the stories were just not that interesting, except where he breaks with old friends (as he did with Willy Ley because Ley worked for Von Braun -- in the U.S. not Germany). As with the second volume, if you've read most everything Heinlein wrote, then this may be for you; it's not for the more casual reader.
review 2: I don't normally read history, so it was fascinating to see the perspective of someone sailing into the Golden Gate before the bridge existed, or the evolution of Heinlein's experience and ideas about Progressivism and Communism.Heinlein was (is) and important part of my life, so this was time well spent.Reading the book, it felt a bit like Patterson was an acolyte of Heinlein's, so his explanations (justifications) for some of Heinlein's controversial positions felt a bit like excuses. I don't know enough to judge. less

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