1984

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking
Review: If you have not read this, I strongly recommend it ... ESPECIALLY if you are like me, and somehow "escaped" having this assigned to you either in high school or in college, but have always wondered what the hype was all about.

Too many times today, you will hear this book discarded as a bunch of prophesies that were way off -- e.g., that in the year 1984 there would be computers and "telescreens" that would all but read our minds; that "Big Brother" would always be watching us. Many, I'm sure, feel that since this is NOT the case today, that Orwell and his book were / are a wast of time.

As for me, the more I read this, the more I see how the overall concept of "Big Brother" -- i.e., how information is "cleansed" to "protect" us; how we are teaching technology itself to out-smart, or at least, stay one step ahead of us -- IS, in fact, all-too-real in our lives today!

In any case, very intriguing!

Rating:
Summary: Reality Check
Review: If you're buying this book and you don't know much about it then you're in for a trip down a pretty disturbing road. The obvious questions it raises about society, government, control, power, unity, trust, and faith in the human character might leave you thinking critically about humanity's direction (if you haven't before). Ultimately I felt like the book's strongest point was it's exploration of what "reality" becomes when manipulated by the mind's interpretation of it. But I think people's reactions to 1984 will vary according to their own insight into the books topics, especially within the political realm. Without a doubt, a great book.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: 1984 is definitely a book that can generate discussion. The topics form strong and sometimes unexpected opinions. A few parts are a bit dull, such as the beginning, but the plot is quite intriguing. George Orwell utilizes superior language and I loved the way he used one example of "mind control" throughout the entire story and ties up loose ends with the concept. MAny different themes are all taking place at the same time, but everything associates with the main "Big Brother" government. I truly enjoyed reading the novel. It was a refreshing change of pace for me because I'm not normally a science fiction reader. Despite all of this, I wouldn't suggest knocking this book off in one sitting, even if you're an avid reader. It can get pretty hard to focus. Overall, though, I would definitely recommend 1984.

Rating:
Summary: Is your mind corrected beyond repair?
Review: Possibly the worst thing to say about this overwhelming book is that it is...science fiction. It is promoted as such in the schools where the kids "have" to read it because it is a "classic" (we all know what that means, and if you dont then consider how many books you remember from that time and consider what effect they would have on you had you read them 10 or 15 years later).
Orwell constructs and describes a nightmarish totalitarian dictatorship where the system controls literally everything. And that includes your thoughts. If you deviate you will be "corrected".
It's a society where the past has been wiped out because the system controls all forms of information. It is impossible to know what has happened before and one is forced to accept the constant lies from the government at face value while going through intense brainwashing of other forms as well.
Winston (the main character) is a man who still has traces of the past in his brain, in other words he commits the ultimate crime (thoughtcrime) as he questions the official version of things. As he desperately looks for signs from others hoping that they feel the same way he enters an underground conspiracy that aims to overthrow Big Brother (the invisible but everpresent power that represents a faceless system). And just as a flame of hope lights up inside him the nightmare transforms into an endless journey to hell.
There is no point of giving away the plot because it happens to be one of great twists as Winston finds out in the most scary way imaginable the sheer controlling power that Big Brother enjoys over everyone.
There are so many myths about 1984. One is that the book implies the horrors of communism (stalinism to be exact). While it is true that Orwell was inspired by the "feats" of Big Daddy (that would be Joseph Stalin) to write his book he was equally inspired by the unspeakable crimes of the Nazi dictatorship in Germany as well. Orwell does not imply any one specific form of dictatorship but he simply tries to see forward, he tries to warn and predict the forms that the dictatorships of the future will have and he puts no political color on it. The dictatorship he describes could happen in a society near you, no matter where you live and no matter how safe you think your "democracy" might seem to you.
Allthough (and especially) the last part of the book is the most intimidating and overbearing one, i found that what actually scared me the most was how accurate the author is in what he sees for the future. Remember he wrote this way over half a century ago. And what does he see?
He foresees thought control. Check. In case you think you arent thought-controlled then the system is functioning perfectly thank you. He foresees the manipulation of history in order to make the system more powerful. Check again. It used to happen in a smaller degree now it happens in a scientific degree. Take for example the "People's history of the United States" by Howard Zinn, read it, and compare what you read with what you "learned" in school, and you will see my point. And that's just one of the 1000s of examples that could be brought up.
He foresees a a dictatorship where people do not realise they live in a dictatorship (and the few who do are "put away"). Well, guess what, check again. Regardless of where you live chances are you do not realise how the system controls you, and not only that, but chances are again, you call this a democracy because that is what you are told (brainwashed) to call it.
And on and on and on..All this is just paving the way for the Orwellian nightmare.
Some have said that life itself proved that Orwell was just a hardcore pessimist as the "future" didnt prove to be that horrible. Wrong. The genius of George Orwell has actually seen the process through which what he describes WILL happen. It is in fact happening right now. There are many who see it and sense it but many times more who dont.
There is no point to be silly and promote this stunning future-diagnosis of a book as a "classic" or to suggest to you that you "must" read it or all that.
Things are very simple. If you care about yourself before all else then do read it. If there is still hope for you then this book will change you. If this book has no effect on you then you do not understand the problem to begin with. But that's a good thing. Because in that case you will never have to see some future "Room 101". What is "Room 101"? It's a place in Orwell's "future nightmare" that very few have been in but everybody knows that that's where you are corrected from bad thoughts.
But go on. Treat yourself to some bad thoughts. Such rooms dont exist anyway.

Rating:
Summary: My "1984" Review
Review: I think that the book "1984", written by George Orwell was a book that raised many questions. It was a book about a man fighting for his rights only to fine out he had to give in a bit. "1984" was a book that captured me into its story and I couldn't stop reading. I highly recommend this book to someone looking for a challenge and a well written book!

Rating:
Summary: 1984 Review
Review: I thought the book 1984 was great. It really made me think about weather or not I was pro Big Brother or con Big Brother. At the end of the book I decided to diagree with Big Brother. It is too powerful and controling. There are some forms of Big Brother that we think nothing of and don't even care that they're around even though there it's watching your every move. 1984 was an awsome book that kept getting better and more interesting with every page.

Rating:
Summary: HEY!!! This book is AWESOME!!
Review: _
Yeah. So I was bored. I picked this book up and read it cover to cover.

When I finished, I was sortof angry, to be truthful. I was mad at the author when I read the ending. I wanted, y'know, a black-and-white storybook-type finale and was pissed when it didn't come. Yup.

But after my temper had cooled and I pitched a couple pillows around the room (not literally, whaddya think I am, insane?), I sat down to think about what the author was trying to say with his book. And now I am really happy with the way he concluded the tale. Yeah, I know. I sound like one of those annoying English Teachers with their "What does this Symbolize" questions (no offense to all you teachers out there).

But seriously. This book reminded me of all that BullS*** propaganda pervading countries around the world - And YES, that includes the US. The "Big Brother is Watching You" that runs throughout Orwell's book reminds me a bit of good ol' Uncle Sam, y'know? Which is kinda freaky.

Anywho. READ THIS BOOK!! You can yell at me afterwards if ya didn't like it, but give it a chance. PLEASE!! I disagree with these (*cough* STUPID *cough*) critics writing on Amazon who are saying that only old folks will like this book. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!? I'm 15 and I liked it. What am I saying... I didn't like it... I -L-O-V-E-D- it! I'm a highschooler (we tend to have short attention spans sometimes).

GIVE THE BOOK A TRY!!! for me? (can't you just imagine those little puppy dog eyes begging you to read this book?) TRY THE BOOK!!!

Rating:
Summary: progress of power
Review: this is a distopic tale of a bleak future under an authoritarian regime... the book raises certain questions about the direction that progress, governent power, and personal freedom are headed...
I worry sometimes about these despairing glimpses into the future... were they the product of Orwell's intuition, or has this book and others like it fueled us into a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?

Rating:
Summary: What 1984 really means
Review: A man living under theocratic Anglican Christianity rebels against its masochism, its sky Fuhrer whom nobody has ever seen and who probably does not exist, and its totalitarian prohibition of everything that makes life worthwhile. He forms a sexual relationship with a female dissenter, who sees their recreation together as pleasure-giving rather than an onerous duty to "be fruitful and multiply," as the sky Fuhrer's domesticated livestock are required to believe. The hierarchy hunts them down and, by threatening the man with his personal concept of Hell, persuades him to denounce his lover as a dirty antichrist on whom the threatened torture should be inflicted rather than on himself. He is converted, and finally realizes that he loves the sky Fuhrer.

Rating:
Summary: "classic" does NOT mean good!!!
Review: If you havent been forced to read this book while in school, or hadnt had a chance to grab it at the library, run while you can. 1984 might have been scary 100 years ago, but not now. If you like reading about old people think they are beating the system by saving a PAPERWEIGHT, then by all means...

The book has multiple plot holes as well. Beware the "government runs the world unchallenged, but still needs to brainwash old people" hole. Read something else instead... ANYTHING ELSE!