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For Us, the Living  By  cover art

For Us, the Living

By: Robert A. Heinlein
Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
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Publisher's summary

July 12, 1939: Perry Nelson is driving along the palisades when another vehicle swerves into his lane, a tire blows out, and his car careens off the road and over a bluff. The last thing he sees before his head connects with the boulders below is a girl in a green bathing suit, prancing along the shore.

When he wakes, the girl in green is a woman dressed in furs, and the sun-drenched shore has been replaced by snowcapped mountains. The woman, Diana, rescues Perry from the bitter cold and takes him to her home to rest and recuperate. Later they debate the cause of the accident, for Diana is unfamiliar with the concept of a tire blowout and Perry cannot comprehend snowfall in mid-July. Then Diana shares with him a vital piece of information: the date is now January 7, the year 2086.

When his shock subsides, Perry begins an exhaustive study of global evolution over the past 150 years. He learns, among other things, that a United Europe was formed; the military draft was completely reconceived; banks became publicly owned and operated; and in the year 2003, two helicopters destroyed Manhattan in a galvanizing act of war.

But education brings with it inescapable truths—the economic and legal systems, the government, and even the dynamic between men and women remain alien to Perry, the customs of the new day continually testing his mental and emotional resolve. Yet it is precisely his knowledge of a bygone era that will serve Perry best, as the man from 1939 seems destined to lead his newfound peers even further into the future than they could have imagined.

A classic example of the future history that Robert Heinlein popularized during his career, For Us, the Living marks both the beginning and the end of an extraordinary arc comprising the political, social, and literary crusading that is his legacy.

©2004 Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Trust (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A major contribution to the history of the genre.” ( New York Times Book Review)
“There’s something eerie about this novel…Never mind science fiction; this is prescience fiction.” ( Kansas City Star)
“A neat discovery for Heinlein and utopia fans.” ( Booklist)

What listeners say about For Us, the Living

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

The only Heinlein I didn't enjoy

This is the only of the Heinlein books that I have listened to that I didn't enjoy. About a third of the way through the story, there is a 30 minute diatribe, in which we hear Heinlein's views on the failure of capatalism in the western world. We also get to hear some of his views on morals. I think this added nothing to this book. Then the book gets back to the storyline for a couple hours , but then Heinlein feels the need to further bore us with another 30 - 40 minutes of the exact same stuff. Then at the end of the book we are offered more pap under " authors notes" repeating some of the same junk. I finish every book I start, but when it came to these "authors notes" I turned it off

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107 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • JC
  • 12-07-11

Should have stayed in the shoe box

I have been a Heinlein fan for a long time. It is for this reason that I find this work so disappointing. Heinlein was prone to a certain amount of preaching but this book contains little else. I fear the author would have been terribly embarrassed by release of this work. It is clear that the writing was preliminary to several other stories but was not complete in itself. It contains lengthy expositions that are simply wrong and always have been. The work is poorly conceived, having little plot, scant character development and amazingly wrong guesses as to the future. I winced at the descriptions of the futuristic space program. I suppose Heinlein's inclusion of the future use of cigarettes and asbestos is understandable but the entire work seems to contain little besides these archaic bits of guesswork. Of course there are the truly mind numbing lectures on religion, politics, economics, law and sociology. These run for hours as you wait for a story. If you are a fan, skip this one and reread The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress or Stranger In a Strange Land.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A view in the the grand masters mind

This title was written in 1939, but found and released in 2003 after the authors death. It presents an alternative future based on the events that took place just prior to the outbreak of World War 2. In classic Robert Anson Heinlein style, the characters are very detailed and you can identify with them easily; however, this book is a "dialog" of all the events that have taken place since the main characters reentry to the world. In this book, most likely his first work, the plot is nowhere near the caliber he will show in his later works. This is not a good example to see his craftsmanship, but is a wonderful insight to see his transition from former life to the master of a genre.

It is fascinating to read a Utopian description of a world that never came to be. This is not a crystal ball of things that will come, but more a parallel alternative to those events that could have been. The author uses his characters to describe events in long discussions. I can see why many publishers might not have wanted to bring this book out to the public for a new writer; however, for long time fans, this book is fabulous. It gives a look into the mind of our old master of things yet to come. The roots of many of the topics that Heinlein will use in later works to present non-mainstream views are all here, finding these gems in his earliest work is quite a thrill.

I am going to rate this a solid 4 stars, but with explanation, The method used by the author is not very enjoyable to read; the dialogs are LOOOONG and can dwell laboriously in some points. The plot is thin and leaves many unanswered questions. Had it not been for the uniqueness of the ideas, the rich characters, and quite frankly, the fact that we get to see that one of the greatest authors of all time needed to mature some before he was able to produce his masterpieces, makes this book worth your time.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Heinlein fan, but not for an unfinished work.

What would have made For Us, the Living better?

As you can read in the introduction, he simply never finished it. Don't believe me? Then look at how short the final chapters are. The plot is vintage Heinlein, but there were reasons he started it in 1939 and never came back to it. It may be that WWII changed some of his social theories in the plot.

What could Robert A. Heinlein have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It may be that this was a story that got pulled apart and later used in "A Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Starship Troops" Therefore finishing it later may have been redundant to him.

Have you listened to any of Malcolm Hillgartner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

n/a

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

It should never have been re;eased without clear indicator that it is a short story.

Any additional comments?

I "Grok." If you don't understand, read more Heinlein

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

No Story Here.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

An actual plot would be nice. There didn't seem to be a story here, just a sequence of events.

Would you recommend For Us, the Living to your friends? Why or why not?

no.

What about Malcolm Hillgartner’s performance did you like?

o.k.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no.

Any additional comments?

no.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • CZ
  • 03-18-12

This Novel is an Economics Lesson.

Where does For Us, the Living rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This novel was not what I expected, even after reading the reviews. The story is typical Heinlein but, the way the characters interact turn it into a sociology and economic lesson.

The economic ideas are interesting and the reasons for them are sound. It is to bad he could not come up with some ways to actually get them implemented in the real world.

Would you be willing to try another book from Robert A. Heinlein? Why or why not?

Yes. I have listened to most of Heinleins books.

What about Malcolm Hillgartner???s performance did you like?

He was good.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This would not be a film unless it was part of a college course.

Any additional comments?

Interesting Economic and sociological ideas presented. The system used to study economic systems is simple and smart.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Rated 5 starts for nostalgia

Any additional comments?

I can't help it, I always rate RAH five stars. But I have to be honest, if you are not reading RAH because you "grew up" reading him, this is not one of his best books for the modern reader. Decades after I first enjoyed it, this book is now so painfully "quaint" I could not finish it. The new reader is not going to be impressed by Heinlein, the visionary, when reading this book. If you are not already a Heinlein fan, do not start with this book or any of his so called "juvenile" works. Start with one of the "big" ones. They are dated as well, of course, but I think they still provide even the modern reader with some of the "flavor" of the visionary Heinlein that many people so fondly remember.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I hope this is our future.

I love this story of all the RAH novels so far.
I love the idea of coventry. no need for prisons.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very important and influential book

This is a very interesting book, it has been highly influential on me.

First off the book reads actually more like a play than a book. It would fit more aptly in a category with books such as The Republic, Utopia, Looking Backwards, than science fiction.

There is very little action, plot, or conflict; it is mostly dialog. He attempts to put the characters in a few scenarios purely to illustrate the civics of his utopian society but that is about it for plot. For me personally, reading this unadulterated illustration of his ideas was deeply interesting and unlike others who may read this book I came away questioning everything about where we are today as a society.

The book is also interesting for Heinlein fans for no other reason than it was his first ever book and you can see the seeds of many other stories that he created throughout his career. This is like a master timeline that he used to craft subsequent books. From characters (Scudder) to technology (moving walkways) to philosophy, this book hints at the future work he eventually produced and its fascinating to see how clear his original vision was.

In this book you can clearly see the Libertarian in Heinlein. It takes great courage to question the principles of capitalism and modern economics while simultaneously being an American, and he does so with great acuity. The book appears to portend the flaws in our society and we continue to see the results of these same flaws affecting us to this day. The directness with which he cuts through the problem while simultaneously offering solutions is breathtaking. He leaves you wanting to live in his world, and feeling like for the first time ever its possible.

The sections on the future history of the united states are pretty fascinating as well, especially how he describes the rise of Scudder and predicting it to happen in 2016, the same year as actual populist president Trump rises to power. He describes the constitutional amendments his fictional congress proposes, which are designed to revoke corporate personhood and actually remains a highly topical issue at this time in history. Furthermore he goes on to describe a simple change that would require "damage" to be shown in order for proof of guilt that a crime has been committed, which is a very simple concept with broad reaching libertarian implications. He also goes on to show how a state might treat criminals as patients in need of treatment rather than slaves in need of confinement. The subtlety with which he presents subjects with broad reaching implications necessitates multiple readings of the book.

This book cements the fact that Robert A. Heinlein was a great author, driven by sheer genius. This book is a peek into the inner workings of that genius and the lifelong career that derived from that original beautiful mind.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

His first work

Any additional comments?

As I understand it, despite it's release date, this is the first of Heinlein's novels. Very obviously so. Heinlein had a great deal of learning to do when he wrote this though what was to be his style is still very evident.
I don't think I agree with the many comments that say there is no plot. It is there, a bit thin that's true, but it is there.
The one thing I enjoyed was getting a chance to look at a young Heinlein and see where he came from.The book is loaded with miss-conceptions and fanciful idea's that just would never work. I enjoyed the book just the same, it's just a long way from the best of his work.
In short if you're looking for another great book by Heinlein, this isn't it. If you're looking to get to know a little more about who Heinlein was, it's worth a listen.

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