1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell, 328 pages

From the MARC: "The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's nightmare vision from 1949 of the world we are becoming is timelier that ever. 1984 is the great modern classic of a 'negative utopia' - a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing."

1984 is a classic that slipped through the cracks in my education. I was aware of the novel and its importance to literature, but until now I had never actually read it. Haunting is a good word for the vision provided in this story. The events feel eeriely relevant and sharply prescient. I hate to say that I enjoyed the novel because it was terrifying

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell, 139 pages

I have wanted to read this book or 1984 by George Orwell for the longest time.  Mr. Jones owns Manor Farm.  But, soon the animals take over the farm.  Napolean and the pigs soon become the animals in charge.  They build a windmill and make the farm more productive.  I really enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would!

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tim Hamilton

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation (Graphic novel) by Tim Hamilton-149 pages

I read Fahrenheit 451 a few years ago, so when I saw this I decided to read it on a whim. I do enjoy reading graphic novels for a respite from "regular" books sometimes. Fahrenheit 451 is similar to other futuristic political satires like 1984, Brave New World, and others which inspired movies like Gattaca and Equilibrium. The moral is that we have to think for ourselves and be educated. It doesn't mean we all have to get graduate degrees or even undergraduate degrees. It does mean that we should exercise our freedom of choice and never let someone take that away. I took a class in high school in which we read a bunch of this type of books and really enjoyed it and I have liked reading similar books ever since, although I just really enjoy reading period. Reading and imagining and thinking critically is good to do.