The Left Hand of Darkness: 50th Anniversary Edition Mass Market Paperback – March 15, 1987

I don't think I can say anything that isn't already said, but for my own notes: I haven't felt this much that I've wished to meet an author before. Le Guin's ideas are so well described and planned, her worlds are so full and rich. I feel this is speculative fiction at its finest. I do have a boat for gender-bending ideas, though.Note: a great review (with minor spoilers) is at the end of the version I read.For teaching purposes: nothing in this book I feel would be particularly upsetting, no sex, though a description of cultural practices given the gender/sexual differences in the "alien" race. Not even any profanity, really. There are themes of patriotism (and perhaps the dangers in it). There is abuse, but of the kind a political prisoner might have.Students should be advanced enough in vocabulary and perhaps even other cultures to find this book worth their time. 11th-12th grade, perhaps an advanced 10th grader. I've known a couple 9th graders who might enjoy it.

Great book IF you have the ability to understand the terminology of this planet - by having a handy computer nearby to look up each word. It did get better as I proceeded thru the book, guessing about much of the terminology.

My introduction to Ursula K. Le Guin was in a college lit class where“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” was on the syllabus. That short story touched me profoundly and I’ve read it many times through the years. Despite that, I’ve never dove further into her œuvre simply because I’m not a sci-fi fan and that was her lane.But I read an article this year that referenced her 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness and it intrigued me, especially the fact that it’s become an “early seminal text” for the LGBT community. So glad I put aside my hesitation for science fiction and read this book. Le Guin’s writing is so incredibly descriptive. She places the reader perfectly on the harsh planet of Gethen where she spins quite the tale.The plot involves Genly Ai, an envoy from a group of other planets who has visited Gethen in hopes of convincing the leaders on that planet to join his federation (The Ekumen). Ai is assisted in his quest by Therem Harth rem ir Estraven (side note, one of the things I dislike about sci-fi is all the crazy names) who is an advisor to King Argaven before a spectacular fall from grace.The reason this book is so revered among the LGBT community is a quirk of the people on Gethen. They are nonbinary most of the time, except for a few days ever month when their sexual organs emerge and they get hot and horny for some action. This is called “kemmering” and the best part is, you never know from one month to the next if you’ll be a male or female in your next kemmer. Indeed when King Argaven gets pregnant it throws the whole idea of sexual identity and gender roles out the window.At the heart of this book is the relationship between Ai and Estraven. It evolves slowly, from mistrust to respect to friendship and even includes a bit of sexual tension when Estraven kemmers while the two of them are in a tent (like the pregnant king, that’s another reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore).I loved this book. It forced me to reconsider things like patriotism and sexuality and societal norms. But it was also a gripping novel with a sad yet satisfying ending.I may never be a sci-fi fan but I will dig deeper into Le Guin’s works. She’s two for two in my book.

Book Info: Genre: Science FictionReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Anyone, especially those interested in gender roles.Please Note: I picked up a used copy of this after reading Nataliya's review on Goodreads. A opinions are my own.Synopsis: Genly Ai is an emissary from the human galaxy to Winter, a lost, stray world. His mission is to bring the planet back into the fold of an evolving galactic civilization, but to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own culture and prejudices and those that he encounters. On a planet where people are of no gender - or both - this is a broad gulf indeed. The inventiveness and delicacy with which Le Guin portrays her alien world are not only unusual and inspiring, they are fundamental to almost all decent science fiction that has been written since. In fact, reading Le Guin again may cause the eye to narrow somewhat disapprovingly at the younger generation: what new ground are they breaking that is not already explored here with greater skill and acumen? It cannot be said, however, that this is a rollicking good story. Le Guin takes a lot of time to explore her characters, the world of her creation, and the philosophical themes that arise.My Thoughts: This book is part of a series by Le Guin called the Hainish Cycle; these books can be read interdependently of one another.In the introduction to this book, the author says, "Science fiction is often described, and even defined, as extrapolative. The science fiction writer is supposed to take a trend or phenomenon of the here-and-now, purify and intensify it for dramatic effect, and extend it into the future... a prediction is made. Method and results much resemble those of a scientist... the outcome seems almost inevitably to be cancer... somewhere between the gradual extinction of human liberty and the total extinction of terrestrial life... Almost anything carried to its logical extreme becomes depressing, if not carcinogenic." Her point is that she is telling a story, not extrapolating into the future - and she tells a story very well.Genly Ai is a fascinating character; he's so incredibly biased, but tries to maintain a presence among the people on Winter without letting them know how he really feels; watching him grow and change through the course of the book was a wonderful experience. On the other hand, I'm also fascinated by the King of Karhide who, upon learning there were thousands of other civilizations out there, instead of considering that his people were the odd ones, rather claims that they were the only normal ones and all those thousands of civilizations were full of aberrations and perverts. It's a fascinating study on how people consider themselves and only themselves to be the norm.I do wish some form of gender-neutral terminology had been created for this book. Having Genly call everyone "he" even if he considers some of them feminine is distracting. However, this is not, I am fairly certain, something that was really even considered when this book was written (1969) and it was probably quite a shocking and groundbreaking idea at the time."Consider: Anyone can turn his hand to anything... The fact that everyone between seventeen and thirty-five or so is liable to be (as Nim put it) `tied down to childbearing,' implies that no one is quite so thoroughly `tied down' here as women elsewhere are likely to be... burden and privilege are shared out pretty equally, everybody has the same risk to run or choice to make. therefore nobody here is quite so free as a free male anywhere else." A fascinating thought, and one that is dealt with in only an ancillary way throughout the course of the book, as are all other ideas being expressed by this text.Definitely an interesting book, a great story, wonderful world-building. I'm very happy that I was introduced to this book and took the chance to grab a copy when I had a gift certificate. I think this is an important book that should be study in gender-study classes at the university level; I think it is a book most everyone should read and spend some time thinking about.