Was just talking to a colleague about The Dispossessed. That book never did it for me. Left Of Hand Of Darkness on the other, erm, hand... wow. Fascinating premise. UKLG also did an interpretation of the Tao Te Ching that is worth a slow, contemplative readthrough.
I had the inverse take. Read Dispossessed and thought the commentary was insightful, so I followed it with LHOD, but I felt like the points it makes about gender roles are blunted by the passage of 55 years, more so than points about capitalism. I am pretty sure I missed most of the ways she tries to contrast the Gethenians against our own society.
