Starship Troopers is a heroic story set in a war placed against the backdrop of the universe. The main protagonist, Rico, signs up for the military for reasons that may be familiar to contemporary youth who see the military as a way to pay for education or learn a trade. That is, he wants the social and political benefits that go along with enlistment. He soon finds out that signing up during peace time comes with no guarantee of continued peace.

This story is one of growing up, as we watch a youth who is largely self-centered become a man responsible to more than just his own self-interest. It is also a commentary on military life and on war in general. Heinlein uses the setting of the future to point out issues that were relevant at the time he wrote this book decades ago and that are still relevant today. This book is thought-provoking, its main character is likable, and his down-to-earth voice makes this far-from-earth book a pleasure to read.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  1 religious exclamation; 1 mild obscenity.

Violence/Gore:  A few verbal threats; soldiers are trained to commit suicide when under certain conditions; report of a fistfight; a few characters have scars and wounds from prior battles, such as missing limbs; description of various potentially deadly jobs; report of dogs put down as a mercy; report of characters dead from hunger and exposure; report of an infant murdered; reference to putting down a dog; report of a suicide; report of crimes such as murder, assault, and vandalism in a historical context; a few reports of children spanked; a few reports of accidental deaths; report of a city destroyed; a few reports of vehicles destroyed with many passengers killed; report of a mass suicide by animals; a few reports of deaths in war; report of a fight with property damage; report that a character lost limbs; a few fist-fights without major injury; characters spar and practice martial arts and weapons; a few characters are flogged as punishment; a bar fight with serious injury; a few battle scenes with injuries and deaths but no graphic details; a character suffers radiation exposure and broken bones;a character is hanged as punishment; a few battles with guns, flamethrowers, and bombs with death and property destruction but no gore; a character is decapitated in battle, but it is not graphically described.

Sex/Nudity:  A few mentions of dating; men talk about women in general and discuss or think about how pretty they are (this is not sexual); male characters try to get guard duty near the women’s quarters a few times; characters kiss a few times; men look appreciatively at pretty women a few times. 

Mature Subject Matter:

The morality and justification of war in general and use of specific tactics is a major theme; the merits of corporal punishment are discussed; murder; kidnapping; capital punishment; loss of a friend; loss of a parent; suicide (mention).

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adult characters smoke cigars and cigarettes; report of a child smoking a cigar; adults drink alcohol; mention of narcotics; mention of drunk driving; mention of drug addiction; mention of drugs used as an interrogation technique.