A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick With extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity, George Orwell’s 1984 takes on new life in this edition. “Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.”—The New Yorker In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where … city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.
Lionel Trilling said of Orwell’s masterpiece, “1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present.” Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell’s novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.
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Hard world
Classic
LOVED IT: Deserves all the praise it gets. Take a day or 2 off, Grab it, read it, you won’t be sorry
A classic, read it t least yearly
Why realistic? Because every day we see evidences of 1984 wherever we look: The media and politics of today seem to mimic 1984, all the while trying to say they are truth-tellers.
The importance of this book can’t be overstated.
George Orwell was a political philosopher and avowed socialist, until traveling the world opened his eyes to have evil governments really could be.
Endlessly copied and referenced, yet never equalled, this 1947 work brought us ideas such as “thought crime” that are still fresh and horrifying today. …
I love it, this book made me like reading!!
Though dated now, this remains an interesting read and very applicable to today’s political climate worldwide.
It has come to pass
Not my favorite genre, but everyone should read it at least once.
I read it years ago as a recommended for college assignment. It was pretty scary then and I can see it happening now.
1984 got me to seriously become a writer.
Terrifyingly real and just as pertinent as when I read it in the ‘60’s.
Its a novel I read in highschool and I decided it was worthy of a re-read.
Happy I did. It had a much more powerful impact in my autumn years as we see what a glorious but jaded world is that we live in.
Appreciate our freedoms and pray that the twisted logic of Big Brother is only a novel. The lives of the main character have you rooting for them …
Not a horror book, but still scary.
After hearing about this book since 1984, I have been wanting to read it. As an adult, it was fascinating to read about George Orwell’s version of the future which is now in the distant past. I actually believe the technology in the book with the telescreens keeping track of Oceania’s residents is something easily imaginable in 2019 but would have …
Creepy, horrible and wonderful. Part of my permanent library. I love this book. Read this before it’s banned! The movie and Eurythemics soundtrack are true to the vibe.
Orwell built a world you won’t forget.
I am sure everyone in the world has heard of (and probably read) this book. This book was written in 1948, so 1984 was the future. It was George Orwell’s take on what the future would look like. The world has been divided into three parts. Big Brother is always watching you – cameras everywhere you go, phones being tapped, bodies being scanned …
Frighteningly relevant to today’s world.
I have read it. The vision of the future is chilling but other than that, I did not see what the hype was about. I do not intend to own it but if a copy fell into my hands, I would not throw it away.