The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin (American, 1974)

Summary:
The story is set in two futuristic planets. They are divided because of their different societies: the socialistic Anarres and the capitalistic Urras. Throughout the book, the narrations keep changing between the past and the present. Shevek is a physicist from Anarres that starts a journey to Urras in hopes of uniting both societies. Shevek realizes the flaws of both societies’ structures and is more certain that he should bring together both civilizations by taking his planet ideology to Urras.
  He arrives at a university in A-lo, one of the three nations that are part of Urras. He starts an investigation along with a personal study about the Urras’ civilization. During his time at the university, he meets Chifoilisk, a scientist from the socialist side of Urras Thu, who explains to Shevek that the loti (people from A-lo) are untrustworthy and that he should seek the interest of his own people. Shevek falls into a conflict and questions if he had made the right choice going all the way to Urras just to feel trapped; at the same time a war in Benbili (a zone in Urras) is unleashed, creating a conflict between Thu and A-lo. Shevek finishes his General Temporal Theory. His work could change many things, such as creating a system that could make instant intergalactic communication possible. But the Urrasti want to use it against other planets. Shevek looks for help with the revolutionary movement from the lower classes in Urras, and after a demonstration, he becomes widely searched by the government. He finally finds a helpful hand in the Terran embassy (people from Earth) and turns in his theory to serve a greater good for all the galaxy. With the joint help of the Terrian and Hanish people, Shevek finds a way back home where the uncertainty of how his people would welcome him awaits him.

Another summary:
This novel is set in the worlds of Anarres and Urras. It also alternates chapters between these two planets, and they do not occur chronologically. 
 Urras is divided into several states, including A-Io and Thu. A-Io is a capitalist and patriarchal state that has several groups of opposition in its borders. Anarres, on the other hand, is a more idealistic society that arrived on the moon from Urras 200 years ago. However, societies'perceptions are quite different. People from Anarres consider themselves as free and independent from Urras. But people from Urras regard Anarres as a colony of them. 
 Shevek, the protagonist, lives in Anarres as a physicist. He is attempting to create a General Temporal Theory. In this universe, time is complex and incorporates factors like math, but also philosophy and ethics. Shevek’s superior, Sabul, tries to control the publication of Shevek’s discoveries because he is jealous of his logic and findings. However, Shevek discovers that the ideas he is developing go against the general beliefs of the Anarres people and starts feeling out of place.
 During the rest of his narrative, Shevek goes into a self-discovery journey that makes him meet again with old friends and his mother, and he even forms a family. 
 Shevek finds himself unable to continue his investigation because he is forced to do manual labor during a drought in Anarres, so he devotes himself to agriculture for the common good of the Anarres people. Once the drought passes, Shevek goes to Urras, where his work has gained recognition and has won awards, and he can finish and publish his theory. This causes tension between Urras and Anarres. The people in Anarres, including his old superior Sabul, accuse Shevek of being a traitor and threatening a political separation between the two worlds. Shevek does not agree, he believes that his theory is not antagonizing to the Anarres people, and it would benefit them. 
 
 However, once in Urras, Shevek does not fit in because he is disgusted with social practices there. Since Urras has a lot of regions in dispute, a war breaks out, which causes Shevek to become more upset. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic in trying to teach the General Temporal Theory to the students in Urras, for he believes this will unite the societies. The Urrasi teachers, on the other hand, manipulate Shevek’s theory to their convenience. Shevek finally realizes that he has been alienated from his people. Also, he learns that the Urrasi teachers plan to capitalize his theory to build ships and warfare instead, the opposite of what he wanted. 
 
 Shevek then decides to escape the university and leaves with one of Urras’ antagonist groups, who protest the Urras capitalist and patriarchal society. Shevek fleeks to the Terran Embassy and asks them to spread his theory to all worlds, and they help him go back to Anarres. The story finishes with Shevek arriving at Anarres, unsure if his society and his family will take him back, but apparently optimistic.

Another summary:
The Dispossessed tells the story of Shevek, a physicist who grew up on Anarres, a planet that has established its society under anarchist principles; they do not have a government nor property, then everything is shared. Odonians refuse contact with foreigners. They only exchange goods.
 However, in Anarres, Shevek cannot fully develop his Theory of Simultaneity. Consequently, he founds the Syndicate of Initiative and starts to communicate with people from Urras, the capitalist planet from which Anarres’ settlers had departed 200 years before. They seem to be interested in Shevek's work.
 Despite other Odonians' disapproval, Shevek decides to go to Urras, expecting to complete his work and to increase the solidarity between both planets.
 Shevek lands in the state of A-Io; he is amazed by the Iotian wealthy yet unequal society. He enjoys his time there. He can fully work on developing his theory.
 But as time passes, he realizes that the physicists from Urras have been spying on him.
 Chifoilisk, an academic from Thu, a communist nation on Urras, explains to Shevek that A-Io's government is just using him. They want his theory to develop a weapon that will improve space travel, allowing them to conquer other states and become more powerful. Then, Chifoilisk invites Shevek to give his theory to Thu's people and join the revolution.
 Shevek finishes his theory, but he feels that he is in prison and that A-Io's people are controlling him. So, he decides to escape and finds a group of Iotian anarchists. Together they hold a demonstration where Shevek speaks, pointing out how Odonian society is.
 The Iotian government violently shuts the demonstration down. Shevek escapes and finds refuge at Terra's embassy. There he decides to give his theory, not to one nation but all nations with the help of the Terran ambassador.
 The Terrans and the Hainish help Shevek to go back to Anarres. He is not sure if he will be welcomed.

World view: Describes in a variety of aspects and with some consistency an imaginary state or society which is regarded as better, in some respects at least, than the one in which its author lives.
Future projections: Sees the future as potential to reform a reality that once seemed unchangeable.
Ideology:  It’s either the polarization of an ideology or an absurdist exaggeration of unfortunate or odd circumstances
Characters, plot and writing style: The story features a rebellion against the adverse circumstances (revolutionaries may exploit newer technologies for these ends).
Classification: Dystopia