1984

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Summary: A warning of events to come
Review: 1984, written in the late 1940's, is a shocking look at a possible future. This future is one where independant thought is outlawed and "Big Brother" rules over the people of Oceania with an iron fist. One man stands up against this totalitarian government. Can he topple Big Brother, or will he be one who falls? This book really makes the reader THINK while they read. Today, with our ever-expanding government, this future is not a far-fetched possibility. Do not take this book so much as an entertaining novel, but rather as a warning of events to come.

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Summary: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU
Review: THIS BOOKS WHICH WAS WRITTEN IN 1956 SHOWS HOW THE AUTHOR IMAGINED THE WORLD IN 1984. The story takes place in a strange world where you have to leave your TV on all the time.where you have to use the double mind to forget that the country is at war against one country one day and an other country another day.This world is a vision of what could be the world in 1984. Of course, we are quite far removed from that, but with webcams everywhere we can think we are not quite so far as it seems from this.That is why this book is so interesting because it is both near and far from us.

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Summary: This is a Scary Place!
Review: Orwell's classic book on thought control, mind control, body control and just about any kind of control you could think of, is a powerful book that many people hold in regards to as being prophetic. Time has passed and other realizations occur, however, this book still stands as a monument, not only in fiction, but in our understanding and use of technology as either entertainment or mass media awareness, ergo; programming. With Erich Fromm writing an afterword, which he cites many examples that displays different types of utopias/thought controlled societies, discussing the psychological aspects of a society that is shaped in such a way, reminiscing from his own book Escape From Freedom. A classic book in every way, and may best be appreciated with Huxley's Brave New World (confer Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves To Death'). Highly reccomended in any study of literature.

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Summary: 1984 might be yet to come...
Review: I first read "1984" in Russian samizdat back in the USSR, and thought that the importance of this book will not survive the collapse of communism. Boy, was I wrong... The similarity between Orwell's Ministry of Thruth and the mainstream US mass media is really striking.

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Summary: Prophetic and Frightening
Review: Orwell was a prophet. He introduced such words into our vocabulary as 'newspeak' and 'thoughtcrime' which have forever changed the way we look at government. No one who hasn't read 1984 can truly call themselves politically literate.

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Summary: A must read
Review: This is one of the few books I think everyone should read at one point or another of their life. I read this book about 7 years back and I think it does an amazing job of narrating the harrowing experience of people under an oppressive regime.

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Summary: !984 - By George Orwell
Review: 1984 was a book forshaddows totalitarianistic view points, and how in the future the world was going to be like a totalitarian government. This is scary for most people because thier natural rights are being taken away, with out them even noticing it.

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Summary: 1984
Review: Orwell's futuristic 1984 was a pleasure to read. The detailed symbolism of the antique paper weight crashing onto floor as policemen bombarded in to arrest Winston and Julia. The paper weight symbolizes the end of Winston and Julia's private and secure existence, which allow them to be safe with each other. They found refuge in the small apartment where they could be themselves without "Big Brother" watching their every move, it's ironic the government was still able to scrutinize every moment of their lives. I enjoyed reading this novel. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Orwell.

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Summary: An excellent piece of literature. Very thought provoking.
Review: George Orwell's classic "1984" is thought proviking and has not lost any relevance since the collapse of the Soviet Union. When the book was written, people were just learning about the pros and cons of Communism (I'm not going to make any political statements in this review.) Arguably, the book reached its prime in the cold war era, but it still as relevant as Orwell's other essays such as "Shooting an Elephant", which, athough it dealt with British imperialism, is still very relevant when applied to other reigons of the world. The protagonist in this story shows the futility of rebelling against a totalitarian state when advanced to this level. I thought that the story makes a strong point even though the events in the story are not probable to occour in the near future. I personally am a big fan of negative utopias ("We" by Zamyatin is very good, don't waste your time with "Brave New World" by Huxley) because they show the human's primal desire to live and be free in a very raw manner. The policy of never creating martyrs for opposition really struck a chord within me. I have read this book at least five times and have come to appreciate it greatly. It probably is my favorite book, second only to The Brothers Karmozov.

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Summary: What a fantasically depressing book...but still fantastic
Review: This book is one of the most depressing and touching books I've read. Try to read it during the summer, then at least you can cheer yourself up if it gets to be too much for you. If you're not the sort of person who has feelings, then this won't be a problem.