Brave New World
Reason Book was Chosen:
I continually hear this book come up in conversation and how Huxley got the future right in that it would be one we would actively join (giving away privacy on our own) as opposed to being one forced upon us by a malevolent government.My Thoughts
This version of Brave New World contained two parts – the novel and Brave New World Revisited. The novel was published in 1932 and Revisited in 1958. In Revisited, Huxley looks at the ideas (and as he calls them, prophecies) to see how they fared. It’s a fascinating look back as 1932 through 1958 covered some very pivotal years in modern history.
I found this dystopian novel to be very engaging and thought-provoking. It’s different from other dystopian novels I’ve read in that governmental control occurs through happiness and pleasure instead of fear and violence. The people choose imprisonment to pleasure instead of control taking place through force. It holds special insight for us today as it becomes easier and easier to choose to give our freedoms and privacy away in exchange for access to apps, social networks, or email.
Brave New World digs into happiness, propaganda, art, love, control, and mind-altering substances. It shows what happens when someone goes against the system, when someone risks the possibility for unhappiness instead of sticking to the program. It helps you look at a possible future of our choosing, one in which we gladly choose. It’s an important book and one that I will not quickly forget.
