Citizen of the Galaxy/Robert Heinlein 301 pgs.Thorby is a slave who gets bought by a beggar, Baslim the cripple. Baslim turns out to be more than just a cripple beggar and treats Thorby like a son, teaching him many languages, science, math and the art of observation. Thorby is a quick study and learns the cultural norms for his new society. When Baslim is "shortened" by the authorities, Thorby puts an escape plan into play and ends up on a trader ship where he is adopted by the captain in repayment of a debt "the people" owe to Baslim. Later, Thorby ends up in a different culture where his true identity is discovered and her returns to Terra to claim his fortune. Just writing this short summary make me realize how much happened to Thorby in this book but how well it was all explained and the details of each culture and customs were explored. Turns out Baslim whas somewhat of a secret agent working against slavery. People on Terra don't even really believe that slavery still exists in the galaxy but they are a wealthy well developed society who can't believe horrible conditions still exist. Heinlein wrote this book in 1957 but the message seems pretty timeless to me. There are still many parallels and interesting observations.
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