the Dispossessed

By Ursula K. Le Guin. She has published 21 novels, 11 shorts, & some poetry to boot according to her (somewhat oddly arranged) website.

The Dispossessed begins on the anarchist planet of Anarres. Anarres is the moon to another planet called Urras, with different states representative of earth's governments. The people of Anarres are Odonians, following their revolutionary leader "Odo". They voluntarily moved to Anarres in exile & maintained no contact with Urras for hundreds of years prior to the setting of this book.

The protagonist, Shevek, is a highly intelligent physicist who has spent his entire life on Anarres. His work as a physicist allows him contact to other physicists on Urras and he embarks on a controversial trip to Urras. Of course, Shevek is an "alien" in this new territory, and is met with a combination of adoration, anger, and ignorance. Shevek's journey is beyond political, and touches on a variety of complex themes such as anarchy, socialism, capitalism, & bigotry. Shevek's worldview is unique because he was raised in the anarchist system of Anarres. This forces Shevek, other characters, & the reader to reconsider their own worldview & consider alternative perspectives. In fact, entire books & essays are dedicated to dissecting The Dispossessed (serious alliteration there!)

The Dispossessed is not a "light" read, although I highly suggest reading the book prior to researching the multiple meanings & philosophies within the book. This would be an excellent choice for a book club type "discussion" book or high school English class. This is the first & only Le Guin book I have read and was pleasantly impressed.

There was a wall. It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortared. An adult could look right over it, and even a child could climb it. Where it crossed the roadway, instead of having a gate it degenerated into mere geometry, a line, an idea of boundary. But the idea was real. It was important. For seven generations there had been nothing in the world more important than that wall. Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on.