by: Aldous Huxley
Goodreads description:
Aldous Huxley’s profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 1/4
Who am I kidding? In all honesty, this was a chore to read. I can’t believe that this book was never assigned to me in high school. I still probably would have just read the cliff notes. My friend, Kate Rowland (1 grade older), always referenced this book and compared the fictional drug soma to modern day Prozac. I would just dumbly nod along. Not anymore- though I didn’t complete it in full. I recently read George Orwell’s 1984 during the lockdown. If we are comparing dystopian classics, I much preferred the latter.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓 1/2
Neither Helen nor I had read this classic in school (where else would you read it?), so we decided to jump in. This must have been quite a shocker in 1932. This is the model for all dystopian novels that followed. I am sure it was amazing, thought provoking, and disturbing in its time. Now it is less surprising, but still a story worth reading. In today’s AI world, Huxley’s message is far from lost – technology could reign supreme, and humans can lose their humanity…hhhmmmm…
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 