Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction book that was first published in 1961 in the U.S. The story tells readers about a Valentine Michael Smith, a Martian being raised on the planet Mars. Smith returns to Earth and has to live life as a human; the novel captures the ways of humans and the events that change the world. In the novel, Smith explores the human world by finding love and opening his own church, the Church of all Worlds, where he preaches free love. The story deals with topics that typically would not address because of what society expects. But this book has strong themes such as the use of institutions versus corruption, religion, and importance of sexuality spiritually. Stranger in a Strange Land was popularized by the hippie movement in the 60’s as it discussed free love, individuality, self-responsibility and religion. Because of the parallels with religious figures in the bible the book also became a classic within cults. By appealing to a vast audience it left an impact on society that promoted people to change some of their views and take more radical actions. It started revolutions amongst rebels in society, and was the beginning for the formation of many cults that existed during the 60’s and some today.