Hugo Award Best Novel Winner

Stranger in a Strange Land

by Robert A. Heinlein

Summary

A human raised by Martians returns to Earth as a young man who must learn what it means to be human, bringing with him alien powers and a radically different way of seeing the world. He gathers followers and founds a movement that challenges conventional ideas about religion, property, and sexuality. Heinlein turns the premise into a sweeping satire of human institutions and a vision of a new way to live.

Historical Context & Significance

It became a touchstone of 1960s counterculture and added the word grok to the English language.