Stranger in a Strange Land

Author: Robert A. Heinlein
Publication Year: 1961
Premise: Valentine Michael Smith, a human born and raised on Mars, is brought to Earth as an adult. He is a “stranger” who must learn what it means to be human, and his journey challenges Earth’s culture, religion, and social institutions.
Key Themes: The meaning of love, sex, religion, and money; challenging social norms.

Origin: The term was coined by American author Robert A. Heinlein in his science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, published in 1961.
● Fictional Meaning: In the book, “grok” is a Martian word with no direct English equivalent. Its literal translation is “to drink,” but its conceptual meaning is far more profound.
● Profound Understanding: To “grok” something means to understand it so thoroughly and intuitively that the observer and the observed merge into a single entity; the observer becomes a part of the observed. It implies a deep, empathic comprehension and integration of something on a molecular or fundamental level.
● Cultural Adoption: The term was adopted by the counterculture of the 1960s and later became popular in computer programming and tech circles to describe the deep, immersive understanding required to master complex systems. Robert Anton Wilson “Schrodinger’s Cat” … Tom Wolfe “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” John Muir “Volkswagen repair manual” used in many DIY for women car workshops.

Pages p.12 "Back even before the healing which had followed his first grokking … p.14 "Smith had been aware of the visit by the doctors but he had grokked at once that their intentions were benign. p.43 lawyers and owning a planet p.57 girls … p.67 martian held still p.72 the man from mars. p.221 used as the 50s “dig”