Stranger in a Strange Land

Robert A Heinlein

Heinlein sets the story with the first expedition to Mars. An expedition baby is born and raised by Martians. When the second expedition returns, it returns with The Man from Mars. Lots of political intrigue (citizenship, rights of ownership, wealth inheritance, etc.) swirl thorough the story and lots of scientific intrigue (The Man from Mars knows a much more advanced science than earth humans). But this is really a story about community and belief. Heinlein paints a picture of the future that is fascinating and has enough logic built in that the reader believes that it could be true. And apparently Heinlein's biggest concern is with religious fundamentalism. Unfortunately, while this may have been ground breaking in its time (1961), it does not hold up. The portrayals of the church are too predictable and stale, too evangelical/christian centric to be realistic as future church. I much prefer the cyberpunk approach of Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash for how to envision a future thinking of faith. But who knows, 50 years from know, someone will be saying it doesn't hold up either.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

The first half of this book is good. Huck Finn is a poor kid living on the Mississippi. His dad is a drunk and always gone. Finn lives with the old church ladies who teach him reading and writing. When dad comes back, things are so bad that Finn decides to fake his death and run away. What I like is the fact that Finn is pragmatic. What is the problem, how do I solve it. Didn't work? Roll with the punches as we develop a new plan. Finn ends up traveling down the Mississippi with runaway slave Jim and the two encounter all kinds of adventure. The second part of the book is just boring. At this point, Tom Sawyer enters the picture (whom Huck adores). Tom has a family and comes across as a bored rich, white kid. Tom also likes adventures, but his are all extravagant and over the top, created adventures not based in reality. Huck goes along, but since the adventure is created, it has no urgency and ends up not being very interesting. Unless your intent is to compare the two adventure styles, stick with the first half.
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note: this book is part of a Reading Lolita in Tehran project, which you can read more about here.

The Age of Radiance

The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era

Craig Nelson

Nelson presents the historical story of radiation, from discovery to the present. While it is a mostly known story, it is still fascinating and Nelson finds ways of putting the history together to tell a particular story. We are introduced to all the players in Europe and the US pre-WWII, and follow their contributions as scientists transition out of discovery and into application. Perhaps the most thought provoking part of the entire book is the discussion about the necessity of nuclear weapons for war. Nelson paints a picture suggesting that the only actual unique feature of nuclear weapons was the fear that they induced. He suggests that the purely military value was overstated, with equal devastation possible with conventional weapons. The impact of the fear throughout the cold war has lead to a general fear and misunderstanding of radiation. While he does not argue for/against current peaceful uses, Nelson does lay out much of the psychology and sociology that is helpful is thinking about why we are were we are today. This is one of those books that is both excellent as a resource for facts and information, and that sticks with you and makes you think.

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