Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Ahead of its time when it was published in 1932, Brave New World explored a number of advanced ideas like eugenics and cloning. 

This novel's world is very unlike those of the other dystopian novel that I have read. The citizens treat Henry Ford as the God (in place of Christ) because he invented assembly line-style manufacturing. The government applies Ford's invention to manufacture human clones who are assigned to five different castes. Additionally, when  people are overwhelmed, they turn to a drug called soma that makes them forget their troubles. Despite these attempts made by the government in order to control the way people grow and feel, one individual is unhappy and discontented. He acts on those feelings to disrupt the authorities' controls.

This book is frightening, but not like a horror novel. The government thinks that it is better to control the development of the human species as opposed to having diversity among people. The ideas of the book foreshadowed Adolf Hitler's attempt to eliminate the Jews and many other groups to further his desire for a master Aryan race, although no killing of this caliber is described in the book. The caste system in the book parallels that of India where the lower castes perform the menial jobs and the upper castes have more opportunities and wealth. The ideas of this book, when executed in the real world, can have enormous and harmful consequences for society. 

Huxley writes with passionate style. Even when he describes scientific concepts and structures, he uses an imaginative voice which is refreshing and unexpected. 

There is little closure at the end of this book and many plot elements are left unresolved. The story hops around frequently, making it hard to keep up, so I'm giving BNW three out of five stars. 

I think this book marks the end of my dystopian-classical literature phase -- for now. 

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novella that is  Anthony Burgess' most popular work, despite his preference to be known for his other books.

Alex is a teenager who acts like a character in a violent video game; he rapes and kills, ransacks and steals -- all for fun. One night, the police catch Alex and lock him up for murder. The standard sentence for this crime is 14 years; however, Alex has heard about a way to shorten it -- a new correctional program. In treatment, he is forced to watch violent films and receive injections, both of which hyper-sensitize him against violence. After he is "cured", Alex is released back into society. However, he has now grown up and realizes that his old ways were childish and he plans to abandon them.

I can only describe this book in one word: unpleasant. The descriptions of murder, rape, and torture are very brutal. Still, Burgess is an incredible author whose writing style displays virtuosity and originality. 

This book is a difficult read. It's not the plot, it's the gibberish. Many words in the book are made up, comprising an original language shared by the protagonist teenagers. It's a read that requires a lot, if not all, of your attention. 

A Clockwork Orange is like the strange love child of Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Catcher in the Rye (both previously reviewed here). The government disapproves of Alex's desires to participate in unlawful activities and they set out to cure him. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government disapproves of Winston's contrary beliefs and sets out to reeducate him. Holden Caulfield (of Catcher) and Alex both grow from their youthful selves to more mature almost adults.

I rate this book four out of five stars because I really like the message about there being a time to grow up. I dropped one star because the invented language can be hard to comprehend.  

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Published in 1953, over ten million copies of Fahrenheit 451 have been sold and its ideas and messages are still relevant today. I liked Fahrenheit 451 so much that I included its numeral in my blog's name. 

Things are very different in this futuristic world. Firemen now burn books and homes  instead of putting out fires. Emotional connections are limited to TV presenters. Guy Montag, a fireman, meets Clarisse, a spirited young girl, and she opens his eyes to a world where he imagines and observes more.  Guy is unique among firemen because he steals and reads the forbidden books. He is eventually turned in and is forced to burn his own house but he escapes arrest and joins a secret group where books and ideas are appreciated.

The most enjoyable part of reading this book was imagining every scene. The beauty of Bradbury's writing is in giving enough information to visualize the scene but letting the reader create the rest. 

The book's burning message (pun intended) is the importance of connection between humans and the discussion of ideas. Whether it's through The Bible or Shakespeare, we can connect with the feelings and thoughts of people who are alive now and people who lived long ago.

I rate this book five out of five stars because it speaks to me deeply about freedom and connection in our modern society and serves as a warning about the dangers of too much government control of our lives.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Published in 1949, Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell's last novel and one of the most famous contributions to dystopian and political fiction. 

Winston Smith lives in the dark, grim superstate of Oceania. Members of The Party control Oceania and Big Brother acts as their poster-boy and leader, although his existence is uncertain. The Party's political philosophy consists of paradoxical slogans like "War is Peace". The masses are under constant surveillance by The Party which rewrites the past so that its principles are not contradicted.  The Party's goal is to suck the pleasure out of people's lives and abolish rebellious thoughts. Winston Smith is an individual thinker and he is eventually "remedied" by O'Brien, a leader of The Party. By the end of the book, Smith loves The Party and Big Brother. 

Nineteen Eighty-Four gives us an appreciation of the importance of knowing and remembering our history. Because all accurate records in Oceania have been expunged, the only knowledge that an event actually happened or that a person actually existed is contained in someone's memory. Reading Nineteen Eighty-Four makes me grateful that I live in a society where family and friends don't betray us to the government and where it's OK to trust others.

I rate this book four out of five stars - because it's a true pleasure to read. I deducted one star because at times the novel was a bit slow. 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm (1945) takes place on both literal and allegorical levels. On its literal level, it is a story about talking farm animals. The allegorical level combines the literal meaning with chilling echoes of and correspondences to the Russian Revolution. 

Animal Farm is the epitome of a dystopian world. Set on an English farm, the book's characters are all four-legged. The farm animals are introduced to the dream of a dying pig of a future in which human contact and man-made objects are abolished, all animals are equal, and their human masters are overthrown. After their rebellion, however, reality differs -- the pigs take over and rule over the other animals. Napoleon, the head pig, returns to old human ways and becomes an overweight dictator.  By the end of the book, all the other animals are starving and life is worse than when the animals were kept in check by humans. 

There is no main character or hero to be found in this novel, but that makes the story even more interesting. Each character's journey is a puzzle piece in the story. Could-be heroes are numerous, but all eventually fail in their quests to overthrow the pigs. 

Animal Farm poses a warning both to political leaders and to the average citizen. For political leaders, the message is to treat the people fairly and not starve or execute them (I'm looking at you, Stalin), because otherwise they will rebel and potentially overthrow the authority. For the average citizen, it's a lesson on not letting political rulers take advantage of them and their labor or their devotion to their country. 

I rate this book five out of five stars for its strong lessons and dire warnings against the abuse of power.