The Word for World Is Forest

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Narrated by: John Skelley

When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.

Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

"Le Guin writes with painstaking intelligence. Her characters are complex and haunting, and her writing is remarkable for its sinewy grace."—TIME magazine

©1972 Ursula K. Le Guin (P)2024 Recorded Books

Planet of the Apes

Best dream yoga instructional tape/Vietnam war movie ever written. Slick dichotomy between resistance experiences and colonial narratives. 7/5

A Five star book that I didn’t like

I rated this story five stars because it was very well written and engaging, the fact that I didn’t enjoy it is besides the point. It was gripping, but just the fact that there could be a future like this where slavery and rampant racism might still exist is really disturbing. I hope deep in my heart that we don’t allow this to be the case but knowing humans and their propensity for greed and lack of compassion for others it’s quite possible that it will be. Therefore, I feel it’s a good book worth reading if just to remind you and Me about the kind of future we may have we’re not better people by then.

I fell in love with this book!

The performance added so much depth to the story that a mer reading could not convey. The overall story is fantastic, a bite into the deeper discussions of humanity, belief, and insanity. Upon a first reading of the first chapter I couldn't bring myself to stomach Davidson's character and whether Leguin would write him as a hero. I found myself pulled in to know more as Davidson is a simple stand-in for major issues of white supremacy and western toxic masculinity. I could not recommend this book more to anyone! I love it and can't wait to discuss it more with peers and family. By no means is it a light-hearted story but it is a story meant to get people in touch with their environment and societal issues.

Avatar template with dome interesting ideas

Some interesting ideas and possible (not necessarily) alien humans culture hints, albeit it could be done in a much complex way in a much bigger book (or in a movie - Avatar...) in my opinion. The form is simple and digestible, good for children. Pretty weird place of women in this world, basically perceived as breeding stock for both opposing parties, maybe acceptable in 1976, but would be definitely commented upon these days and doesn't look like intention. Interesting is the place of drugs there, common stuff there for humans, weed is normal there like today is legal in many countries, kind of prophetic (like many authors novels are).

Forest for World

I did like the comparisons with dominant societies trying to change the inhabitants of indigenous people. As we have seen throughout history, the stripping of nature and dominance, for men never learn!