Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I give this book a strong 3.
This is a compelling story that seems to have not only to be written as a warning for the future, but also to just make you a little angry at human intellect. Set in a future of “perfection”, Bernard doesn’t feel as happy he’s told he should. He decides to visit a “savage” reservation to gain perspective only to find that he isn’t the “rebellious lone wolf” he thinks he is. In the end, Bernard is the product of the world he lives in, but he still manages to cause a ruckus in the lives of others before realizing this.
This book shows what a wonderfully peaceful existence life could be through control, conformity, segregation, a lax moral code, and drug-induced feelings of happiness. I found this book to be very sad, but shockingly real. This is the story of what could happen to the world, but I hope it doesn’t. Not that teens would be interested in this book, but I’d recommend it to them (with their parent’s permission). This is a book that plucks a lot of nerves and may not be for everyone, but is definitely worth reading. I see this book going over well with male readers.
This review has been posted to GoodReads.
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5 replies on “Review: Brave New World”
At no point do you point out the historical significance of the work or how well it is written…. hmm…
Yes, I am aware of what I’ve written and have not written. Perhaps if I had enjoyed it more I would have added more. It’s a good book and that’s pretty much what I’ve stated. Beyond that…
Haha. well, ok then…. Glad you managed to eek out two paragraphs.
I read it years ago, and in 1977 I lived in a Catholic ALL girl dorm run by nun’s in France. A lot of the girls were in high school and they were reading BRAVE NEW WORLD in English, I was so impressed and I was happy to help when they got stuck ….imagine teens here reading a book like that in a foreign language? Great way to raise THINKERS.
I’d simply like to image teens reading it. I enjoy my fantasy books to no end, but that’s doesn’t keep me from reaching out to find and read something with more depth, and I was the same way as a kid. Today, if teens read at all, most of them don’t seek knowledge, just entertainment.