Aurora

I had to return this to the library, so I was only able to get 3/4 through the book. However, the 3/4 that I read absolutely deserve a four star rating. The novel is about the lives of the crew of an intergenerational space ship headed for Tau Ceti, as well as the ship itself. The ship is politically organized in what I can only call a system of decentralized technocratic Leninism. There are multiple equally important self-selecting councils that all send delegates to the executive council. Midway through there are some events that really test the crew, and it shows that even though raising scientists is absolutely vital in an environment like the ship, having some people who know about governance and justice might be the difference between life and death.

This is must read for people who consider themselves students of science fiction. It's not an optimistic view of interstellar space exploration, but it feels more realistic than most.

And it's got fun speculation on how artificial intelligence could arise.