Citizen of the Galaxy
by Robert A. Heinlein · first published 1957
42% recommend58% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Adventure science fiction following a young man's journey from slavery to freedom and duty, mostly set off-Earth. It is entertaining and thoughtful, and appeals especially to adults revisiting Heinlein's juvenile novels.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From helpless slave to beloved son to aspiring merchant to prodigal heir, Citizen of the Galaxy shows the inner and outer growth of a young man in a far-flung Galactic culture. From the moment he is bought and freed by the beggar Baslim (who is far more than he seems), young Toby learns the values of family, self-reliance, discipline, and self-knowledge. Galactic in its scope and personal in its depth, Citizen of the Galaxy is a well-crafted coming of age story set against a galaxy of contrasts. In a distant galaxy, the atrocity of slavery was alive and well, and young Thorby was just ano
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…helped shape my view on life and learning: http://www.amazon.com/Have-Space-Suit-Heinleins-Juveniles-eb... http://www.amazon.com/Starman-Jones-Robert-A-Heinlein/dp/145... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy That's the set I remember most at least. "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" has some good stuff on getting where you want to be in life.
on “Ask HN: Any movies that changed your life?” ↗"Have Spacesuit, Will Travel", Robert A. Heinlein. "Citizen of the Galaxy", Robert A. Heinlein. "The Rolling Stones", Robert A. Heinlein. "A Wrinkle in Time", Madeleine L'Engle. Any of the ones skmurphy recommended.
on “Science fiction for the young” ↗…it, he had a stroke – and you can tell because there's this huge break in the direction of the narrative. Moon feels much more cohesive and internally consistent. It's my favorite work of Heinlein's. Citizen of the Galaxy is also outstanding, even though it was written for the "juvenile" market. The neatest thing about Bryson is that he's a travel writer. It works out really well for a science book, though, because he…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels [1] and still love them as an adult. When I was a teenager, Time for the Stars [2] was probably my favorite, but as an adult, I've come to appreciate Citizen of the Galaxy [3] more. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗…trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive) Douglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Frank Herbert's Dune books Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human Robert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy Robert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy Frederik Pohl's Heechee books
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗Citizen of the Galaxy - despite being one of Heinlein’s “juveniles” is an interesting and entertaining exploration of the balance between freedom and duty. It’s mostly not earth based.
on “Ask HN: Science Fiction Starter List” ↗…list, I really wish that almost every book would be paired w/ one which enhances/comments on either the book or that same theme. e.g., _Kim_ by Rudyard Kipling should be paired w/ Robert Heinlein's _Citizen of the Galaxy_, or _The Grapes of Wrath_, which was cribbed from Sanora Babb's notes w/o permission should be paired w/ her _Whose Names Are Unknown_: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1197158.Whose_Names_Are_...
on “How to live an intellectually rich life” ↗What were your takeaways from the book? Also, Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are really good reads in the same sort of vein of political-minded science fiction.
on “Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?” ↗Anybody here read Heinlein's "Citizen of the Galaxy"? To stop think kind of a business, you make it unprofitable. The question is "how?"
on “The Somali Pirates' Business Model” ↗…is very important in determining bond yields. At the extreme, you want to get paid back in real terms, not "NuDollars" (hmmm, Heinlein assumed inflation of at least 3 orders of magnitude in the time Citizen of the Galaxy was set). Or why we talk about "real" interest rates, subtracting inflation. Of course, let's not get into how the government is scoring inflation nowadays, or how everyone admits that the cost of education…
on “The takeaway from six years of economic troubles? Keynes was right” ↗…Twitter. Any of @Snowden's 2.29 million followers -- or anyone else reading the tweet without following his profile, could be the intended recipient. I first ran across the concept in Robert A. Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy. The protagonist is in a bar with another character looking at messages being posted. A name and phone number could well be a coded signal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy (Heinlein…
on “Snowden tweets 156 characters, which is deleted; speculation re assassination” ↗Here's where Heinlein got the Renshaw Tachistoscope from (Gulf, Citizen of the Galaxy, etc.)
on “You're Not as Smart as You Could be” ↗"Citizen of the Galaxy," by Robert Heinlein, jumped to mind when I read this story. The protagonist, Thorby, is a freed slave, and most of the people he encounters in the story are skeptical that slavery still exists.
on “How one man escaped from a North Korean prison camp” ↗The Stars My Destination was great. It might just be me but I'd like to see what folks who liked it thought of Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗…"sci Fi author X predicted Y" claims. Well known sci Fi authors predicted a lot of things. Not sure it was Clarke, but video calls appear in 2001 (movie) from 1968. Heinlein has cellphones in 1957's Citizen of the Galaxy. Finding a "prediction" from a prolific author is just a matter of thrashing out the chaff.
on “Arthur C. Clarke predicted the WFH phenomenon back in 1974 [video]” ↗