The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A Heinlein (1966) 302 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Libby. Narrator Lloyd James has the facile ability to handle the many accents of all the characters. I really enjoyed this sci-fi adventure even though it does have some slower sections. Our protagonist is Manny, a computer programmer/repairman with Russian ancestry. Strangely, another book I'm reading includes characters in the future using occasional Russian phrases and calling each other comrade too. In this book Heinlein establishes a quirky Lunar culture in post-prison colony underground cities all around our Moon. Manny befriends a central computer that has become sentient. Manny is a fan of Sherlock Holmes so he names the computer Mycroft or Myc and later refers to kids of all the lunar families as irregulars helping in small ways with the revolution efforts. Myc is curious about the human concept of humor. He is not a mobile android, but Myc reminded me quite a lot of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Myc, the computer, is truly a secret weapon that almost magically makes the revolution against the authoritarian Authority possible. Heinlein was inspired by the American Revolution. With the moon being a former prison colony Australia was also brought to mind. But, with the Russian influence, I couldn't help imagining parallels to the Bolshevik Revolution although Heinlein is not espousing communist views. There is a teacher nicknamed Prof, who is responsible for the political direction of the revolution. The book is known for containing Libertarian views and they mostly come from Prof's voice. Manny, at first, fully trusts Prof, but questions him more as the story goes on. Honestly, Prof becomes a bit insufferable. Diplomatic meetings on Earth and explosive fights in the Lunar cities all make it an exciting  and humorous book.