For Us, the Living

A Comedy of Customs

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

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When he wakes, the girl in green is a woman dressed in furs, and the sun-drenched shore has been replaced by snowcapped mountains.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)

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.

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.

Utopia, There is good reason Heinlein didn’t publish this fantasy.

Such a system never works in the real world. Read any of the similar stories written in the 1930s by Socialists.
It is a wonderful idea but it just can’t work.

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.

A bit dated

A bit dated but still excellent expose on political and economic thinking and how society can change.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in stretching their own thoughts about our current social, economic, and political climate.

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.

Hienlien is a mastrt story smyth.

This is not one of them.
Find another one. Money not well spent here...

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.

Another Nostalgic H

It’s wonderful to find his themes and be engulfed by his futuristic writings. Even a fan of gospodin Robert A. Heinlein

Amazing and Timeless!

Robert Hainlein has been one of my inspirational thinkers since my early reading days.
when we keep the perspective and context of when this work was created and we look at today's world, its content is absolutely applicable and, amazingly enough, stil futuristic in many ways.
worth revisiting now and then!!!