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Title: A Lack of Morality Does Not Equal Progressivity
Review: Haldeman writes excellent science-fiction. In Camouflage he tells the stories of a couple aliens who poke around the earth for a few millenia and make disparate judgments of what it means to be human. The novel rides pretty far on the strength of its premise but eventually it becomes clear that this is essentially a short story centered on the alien who comes to appreciate humanity for what it is. Though a fine story, there was much more that could have been said about life itself. Maybe Mr. Haldeman is just leaving room for a sequel.Finally, the author's theme of an alien discovering what it means to be human was bound to focus upon sex at some point. But seriously folks, generations of talented authors and playwrights have managed some excellent explorations of sexuality without dwelling on the pornographic. The explicit scenes in this book were just embarrassing. And the author's portrayal of Samoan morality as quaint and outdated was unnecessary.
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