Island
Island by Aldous Huxley (1962). Sticking with the tropical island theme of Cat's Cradle, this was another reread from my teens. And, wow, I barely remembered a thing -- this must have really gone over my head, in one ear and out the other. A cynical journalist washes ashore on a Southeast Asian island which has managed to create a common sense utopian system -- though shadowed by the imminent threat of a militaristic, expansionist neighbor nation and global oil companies drooling to sink in the pumps. The setup allows Huxley to run through a series of concepts for a saner way of life, with just enough characterization and story to keep it from becoming didactic. Some good food for thought, and like Brave New World, still scarily relevant.