This is possibly one of the most hypocritical chunks of literature I have ever been forced to read. There is nothing here to praise except an unlikeable, dull, and whiney man who is truly not as impressive as he is made out to be. The author tried so hard to create a utopian world where things were supposed to be so efficient as compared to the motherworld that she wants the reader to look past the fact that she gives Shevek everything he is not supposed to want or need. The whole story winds up based around a nuclear family and personal ambition, the very things that she tried so hard to make her readers see past as a cultural need. Also, if I wanted to read anthropological theory in massive chunks, I would go to my bookshelf and pull down one of my many anthro text books.