Lived One Thousand Lives

Overall: I enjoyed Book 2. However, Book 1 was very dense and dry along with the introduction. The ideas in Book 2, though were very interesting. I loved the use of the author as a foil in the plot, and as a way to keep the story going. I love that the author uses sarcasm and contradiction to prove that a utopia is not possible at all. Ex. The name Utopia in latin, which is what it origionally was written in, literally means "no place". Basically referencing the fact that the whole story is made up. This book was well ahead of its time, and still is ahead of ours. I really enjoyed the ideas behind most of the society. Some things would not be possible, but many ideas were very good. I especially liked the idea behind rehabilitation of criminals, instead of killing them thoughtlessly. I just don't find it plausable to elimainte the greed, pride, etc. that are basically human nature. You know?

Characters: There weren't really any characters, so it's a little tough to pick a favorite.

Quotes: Basically the whole book is a good quote, but here are me favorites. WARNING: there may be a lot.
“A pretty face may be enough to catch a man, but it takes character and good nature to hold him.”

“You wouldn't abandon ship in a storm just because you couldn't control the winds.”

“Why do you suppose they made you king in the first place?' I ask him. 'Not for your benefit, but for theirs. They meant you to devote your energies to making their lives more comfortable, and protecting them from injustice. So your job is to see that they're all right, not that you are - just as a shepherd's job, strictly speaking, is to feed his sheep, not himself.”

Recommend?: Yes, I benefited from reading it. I feel like I want to be a better person, and change society because of it. It's a take-over-the-world kind of feeling. Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about. :) I give it 4/5 stars.