Imaginary Interviewer: What's up next?
Me: Well, we're going to go in a different direction. We're going to try a book where a prosperous planet and its resource poor Moon are in some level of conflict. This book will discuss economics and politics. It won the Hugo award and is considered one of the greats of the genre. This is Ursula K Leguin's 'The Dispossesed'.
II: And what should we know about LeGuin?
Me: She's one of the most highly respected authors in science fiction. LeGuin is also one of the 'breakout' authors, whose work was respected even outside of the genre. We read one of her books during the Humanities reread. That book was the wonderful 'Lathe of Heaven'. We will get back to her sometime further down the list with 'The Left Hand of Darkness'.
II: You made a contrast with her and 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.
Me: Yes. I hadn't thought of it before but the two books are a wonderful compare and contrast. They both have similar settings in a large sense and a number of similar elements. But they are very different in tone and message. Heinlein is very libertarian and right of center in our current political climate. LeGuin is left of center. Wikipedia describes 'The Dispossesed' as an 'anarcho-utopia'. That's not an unfair description.
II: Is it good?
Me: I think so, yes. It's extremely well regarded. 'The Dispossesed' is an internal book, with discussion of feelings and emotions. (By this measure 'Moon' is obviously an 'external' book. That's another difference.) I hope you'll enjoy it!