Will I love 1984?

I hated reading 1984 and I loved hating it! What a chilling and coherent vision of an impossibly totalitarian society that seems all too possible and all too prescient more and more each day now. Orwell explores the foundations of truth as the government of Big Brother uses their control of language and information to manipulate the thoughts of their populace and thus the fundamental realities experienced by all.
The novel was published over 75 years ago, and sadly is more relevant today than ever.

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were strikng thirteen.” So begins one of the most perceptive and terrifying books of the 20th Century, a book that should be read as a primer of what to expect if the man in the White House continues on the path he and those who control his thinking keep going. I read 1984 in 1964 and by then, maybe a third of the predictions in the book had come to pass. Twenty years later, and closer to 80% are no longer speculative. I reread it this year with sadness… show more.

It was worth reading again with everything that is happening in my country right now. This classic shows that the real danger of totalitarianism is that it can alter our reality so much that resistance isn't just difficult, it is unthinkable. Read 1984 while you still can.

I'd heard about this famous book many years before I actually got around to reading it. What I loved about this book was its originality.

I am always reminded about Orwell's book whenever I hear phrases like ‘ thought police’ or ‘big brother’, which have become part of our everyday language. Probably one of the most influential books ever written. For me, the message of Orwell’s book is that the State will always win.

The ultimate dystopia survival story .. if you can call it survival. Although its title is only 10 years after Francine Prose’s book, it was, of course, written decades earlier by Orwell, who was looking across Europe at the totalitarian Soviet Union for his inspiration.

I read this book in junior high and have returned to it many times; contemplating Orwell’s insights about the ways authoritarian politics infect societies and destroy souls is more urgent and relevant now than ever.

I read this book in high school and thought it was interesting, but that it was not particularly relevant. I re-read it a few months ago and I thought, OMG, this is happening now. It is a must read for everyone who wants to understand current events and the impact on all of our lives.

This book taught me the meaning of the word “totalitarianism.” It’s like a horror movie you can’t escape from, but instead of a zombie fungus eating your mind, it’s the state controlling every little aspect of your life, down to—and worst of all—the words that you think with, and therefore what you can even conceive of.

Few books have stayed in my mind like this one. Even today—or more than ever—its images come to my mind over and over again when I see what is happening in America and the world.

Orwell is another of my favorite writers; his essays are essential reading. This novel is the culmination of his efforts, and the prose is fantastic: simple, clear, and effective. It is a delight to read and yet hard to write.

I admire how he does it. The plot is now famous, and, unfortunately, much of what he has written has come to pass. I found it hard to read again without all the public connotations invading my thoughts, but I did lose myself in the plot.

I keep returning to this and reading different things into it every time. As with Little Man, this is not the West Wing/Thick of It classic political thriller, but it is told from the perspective of an ordinary Joe. Unlike Little Man, where the political message is woven in seamlessly, 1984 is a full-on polemic written by a man with little time left in an attempt to shape opinion. It is, though, well-plotted and hangs together really well as a novel (barring the sections where Smith reads from the book).

Often read as an anti-communist allegory, I see… show more.

The world Orwell presents in this book is the result of a society that no longer advocates for ALL its members to pursue the ability to think freely, deeply, and effectively. The world shared in 1984 and the many similarities I see today have made me more passionate than ever about how the study of math can help people lead better lives.

I believe that developing a deep understanding of mathematical concepts, which everyone is capable of, will make people want to deeply understand everything in their world.