Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

 

January's Selection: 

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. 

Reactor Magazine features a review.

This one is an old favorite, and for better or worse, has influenced my political beliefs and voting choices. The terrible idea that really stands out to me, though, on this re-read is the defense of capital punishment. Heinlein overlooks so many problems with capital punishment, including, but not limited to the fact that not all murder cases are completely obvious to all who know the victims. Somehow, without a surveillance state, all authorities instantly know who is guilty. And this guilt has nothing to do with accents, race, ethnicity, or religious background.

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