Brave New World

Rating:
Summary: The Most Important Science Fiction Book Ever Written
Review: I've put off reviewing Brave New World, as I thought I wouldn't be able to give an unbiased review. But, after re-reading the book for the tenth time (or so), I decided to give it a shot. Brave New World is the most important science fiction novel ever written. Not necessarily the best, not necessarily the best-written, but the most important. It is very good and very well written, but those are subjective points open to debate.

Brave New World, published some ten years before Orwell's more popular, anti-Communist 1984, imagines a world where people are conditioned from the moment of their birth to be part of an economic and intelligence-based caste, where the media exists for the sole purpose of distracting people from the humdrum of their lives and news is created as sensationalist entertainment, where different thinking is treated with social ostracization or drugs or both, and where the rule of the entire society is maximizing consumption of material goods. In short, not unlike the world today, and America in particular.

BNW (the society outlined in the book) is a Capitalist and Freudian Hell, where people are manipulated to buy things they don't need and conditioned to be perfect molds for that manipulation. The book follows three main characters: Helmholtz, a reporter who realizes the truth about BNW, Bernard Marx, a man who ultimately succumbs to the ostracizing criticism of his so-called "friends," and John Savage, an outsider who grew up with books and without the benefit of BNW's conditioning. All three eventually come to the same conclusions about BNW: that it is a society based on dictatorship-like control for the sole purpose of increasing consumer-base for a large, unnamed corporation-government.

As politicians are increasingly bought off with "campaign contributions" from corporations and special interests, news media is funneled into networks owned by five white men; physical and mental health is disregarded as the Randian, Capitalist mantra of "maximize profits no matter what" destroys basic human dignity; and everything from wars to game shows are turned into video-games for our amusement, it becomes very difficult not to make the prophetic connections between Huxley's vision and today's society. In BNW, there are no protests because people don't care. There are no dissenters because they are mocked into submission when they don't squeeze into the hole designed for them. Take a stroll through modern America, and things aren't much different.

"Brave New World" is important because it, not 1984, is the vision of the future. In a world turning into a Capitalist "Utopia," where maximization of profits is the norm and consumption of material goods supercedes all else, one cannot help but shudder at Huxley's words. The point is made even more evident when one realizes there is no Iceland or Falkland Islands to which we can escape: when Buddhists temples in Tibet have Coca-Cola machines, it's not difficult to see the tendrils of capitalism-gone-wrong everywhere, dark and inescapable. Good luck trying to figure out how to deal with it, besides "if you can't beat it, join it," the biggest cop-out answer someone can offer - along with the Savage's solution at the end. It can be done, however, even though the answer might not be immediately obvious.

This is a science-fiction classic and a book that everyone should read. Forget 1984: the Communists lost. Unfortunately, the Capitalists aren't doing much better - in BNW, most people are just blissfully ignorant of the Truth, rather than oppressed and numbed by it on a daily basis.

Grade: The ultra-rare A+

Rating:
Summary: UTOPIA?
Review: Aldous Huxley's book is a strange encounter with a world that is not completely unlike our own. Many of the things that we do in our society are leading up to the events in Huxley's book, making it strangely prophetic, but at the same time not absolute. The distorted cloning of humans doesn't need to happen, but very well could.

The most interesting thing throughout the novel is the utopian theme. Though the setting created by Huxley is a weird, doped up world, the people there all (think) they are truly happy. Well, almost all of them. John, having grown up outside of the utopian society, doesn't understand the values instilled by cloning or by using soma.

Even though this book was written in 1931, it remains thought provoking; maybe even more so since some of the things discussed in Huxley's books are immeninent. We can clone sheep, who says we can't clone humans? We drug kids just to stay in their seats at school with ritilin, who isn't to say that we could all be taking soma in a few years, to "raise productivity?" More and more our society is becomming less about the individual and more about the collective, but not in a benign sense. People are measured by productivity. In Europe, they still have extended "holidays," when American workers are lucky to have a job with paid vacation.

Though I hope that our world will never be the brave new world that Huxley envisioned, I think that some of the warning signs that were clear to him in 1931 should only be more clear now to us. If anything, this book is a great story and a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Brave New World ¿ Is This the Book for You?
Review: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a Utopian society in the year a.f "after ford" 632 universal human happiness has been achieved. No one is sad and the happiness is shared equally. No matter what the person does for a living, their happy. Here everyone takes daily grams of soma, to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Soma is basically Prozac, but people take it very often to stay happy. There is no violence and everyone is provided for in this Utopian society. When people are born or cloned they are immediately given their future. They have no family, and marriage does not exist. The future depends on what they look like, if they are normal or not. Ranging from the super-intelligent Alpha Pluses down to the dwarfed semi-moron Epsilons. Each class is conditioned to love its type of work and its place in society; for example, Epsilons are happy running elevators. Outside of their work, people spend their lives in pleasure like playing in sports, and ...Love, marriage, and parenthood are viewed as obscene. The main characters are John who is the son of the Director (who runs Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre) and Linda his wife. The story mainly concerns Bernard Marx, a man who doesn't quite fit into a strictly controlled world. He is an Alpha, but he is still not content He takes Lenina (a woman who is a vaccination worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre) for a vacation in New Mexico, where they meet the Savage. Bernard brings back the Savage into the society for his own reasons, and the last half of the book deals with the Savage entering the new world.
Although this novel is Huxley's most popular novel I'd have to say the novel was a hard read and was a scientific novel, dealing with make-believe drugs and the society. For me, scientific novels aren't the types of books I like to read. I thought this book was hard to understand and follow.
I would recommend this book to people who like to read scientific-fiction. It's a hard read with difficult English. I don't rate this book very high- I rate it; two stars out of five. This may or may not be the book for you!

Rating:
Summary: A Dull Outlook on the Future
Review: The novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is about an English utopian society in the future. The main characters are one of 96 clones just like themselves, and the novel guides the reader through their everyday lives. Huxley introduces some interesting concepts and ideas, but the text lacks flavor.

The tiresome novel slowly drags on discussing the differences between their culture and that of today. There is no distinct storyline to engulf the reader's desire turn the pages, and it has a dry personality. Huxley declines to develop his characters and they lack a certain realistic dimension.

There isn't an identifiable incline, climax or decline of the novel. Turning the pages is like drudging through a marshy swamp. Its dull continuation of information isn't intriguing, however the thought that this type of society may someday consume our world does open up the reader's mind to a shocking truth.

The novel is well written, but isn't recommended for people under the age of fifteen due to many adult topics and concepts within. It is directed toward people interested in expanding their imagination about possible future societies, but doesn't have the action and suspense to keep the pages turning, so don't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Is it worth reading?
Review: Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, is an example of what a Utopian society could be like in the future. It deals with the issues of cloning and DNA manipulation and sacrificing freedom for happiness. Although it gets its point across, it does it so in a long, drawn-out fashion. The novel gives some minor and unimportant details, and perhaps the most important and influential character doesn't enter the story until halfway through the novel. Though it has its problems, the author does an excellent job of providing a scenario of a futuristic Utopian society.
In the beginning of the book it almost has numerous scenarios occurring at once, making it somewhat confusing. I found myself trying to decide which of these was the most important and how and when they would all come together. Once again, the real story doesn't come until halfway through the novel. The first half is merely introducing you to the society and the characters' problems and worries, some of which are irrelevant to the plot.
As the book begins, you believe that the story is about a man named Bernard Marx, however, as you continue reading, a new character is introduced, name John, and takes the story on a whole new path. Although this seems interesting, it makes the first half of the story appear unimportant and irrelevant to where the story is headed.
I would recommend this novel to those who have interests in science, technology, and Utopian ideas. However, due to some of the content, I do not recommend it for younger children. It is also helpful if you have some background information in science and technical terms as they are used in the beginning descriptions. Not having this information, I found myself confused and somewhat lost in the first chapter or so. This novel is excellent in giving the pros and cons of a Utopian society, even if it takes a while to prove its point.

Rating:
Summary: Deeper questions and themes in Brave New World
Review: Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley takes place in England as a futuristic utopian society. Ford, who is the ultimate leader and unlimited power, rules the world. In this new world there artificially made people, who are born into a caste system. There are five classes in the caste system, there are the alphas which are the intelligent, and then there are the Epsilons that are the workers of society. Everybody in society is content with their life because they are trained to be obedient members of society. Huxley brings out very deep and interesting questions to the reader through his novel. In the novel his characters help the reader formulate but never actually answer these questions. The basic plot of the novel is not too difficult to follow, however the deep questions and ideas that Huxley brings out in the novel are hard to spot by a young reader. This novel is for someone who can spot the deeper understanding of the novel rather than the actual storyline. Some of the themes and ideas that Huxley shows the reader are genetic engineering, happiness through the use of drugs or sex, the control of science, the stability of society, and many more.
In Brave New World, the reader meets quite a few characters one of which is Lenina who is an obedient member of society. Lenina does everything that a person in society should do to make society stable. In Brave New World stability is everything because without stability there is change, risk, conflict, and problems. Lenina and Bernard go to a savage reservation in the United States only to uncover a surprising story of the past. Bernard is an Alpha like Lenina, but he is deformed. He does not like sports, sex, being alone, and he is unhappy all these are unusual traits from the rest of society.
Brave New World introduces many things of the future that are different than things now days. One of which is somma. Somma is a drug that people take when they are feeling sad or unhappy and they take somma to become happy. Somma is used to make a person become happy and part of society. Another thing that is different in Brave New World is that children are grown genetically to fit society's needs. A person is grown to serve society. Children are taught in their sleep about being a good member of society. These are just a few of the ideas brought by Huxley in his novel.
This novel is for a person who can understand the deeper meanings behind the book that Huxley is trying to show us. It is hard for younger people to understand these meanings, but a collage person or adult would. This novel brings up many perplexing questions through the characters of the novel. It is interesting to try and see what you think the answers are. I would recommend this book for an adult or collage person because they can understand the questions that Huxley brings out in his novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Brave New Utopian World
Review: This is a very good book to read, because the theme of the book - utopian life in the future - is excellent. It's very interesting to think about what can happen in a distant future.

It's great to consider how babies could be created by men, the ways of finding satisfaction, and the different types of people that could exist in an upcoming civilization. The vision I found in the book - a "perfect" world, without feelings , where everyone is only searching for personal pleasure - could be very shocking, but very realistic.

On the other hand, the story has no much action, that's why some parts could be tedious to read. The descriptions are great, but sometimes they are too long. The story could be better with more action.

However, this is a very good book, and I recommend people to read it and analyze it carefully, because I'm sure they will discover many things about our current society that could encourage us to a Brave New World.

Rating:
Summary: Profound Brave New World
Review: Shocking and odd, Aldous HuxleyÂ's Brave New World is a description of a futuristic utopian society.
The story takes place in a near future, in London, where people live in an awful perfect world. A perfect world for the book characters only, because they live in a world without feelings, without freedom of choice and without the opportunity to think by themselves and lack of self identity. But people in this society do not complain about the absence of those things, because they don't know about them. They live happily and any concerns because they are used to consume soma; a drug that makes them feel comfortable with their pathetic lives.
Many things Aldous Huxley predicted in 1932 in this book for a society 600 years in the future are already real nowadays, something that makes the readers think about what kind of world they are living in.
What makes this story good is that it is a profound one, because it makes you think about your reality, compare your reality to the one in the book. It makes you meditate. It is not shallow like most stories I've read. And also, how frightening, odd, and specific its descriptions are!

Rating:
Summary: Important Literature
Review: Along with Orwell's 1984, Brave New World stands supreme in the genre of distopia. Although written in 1931, the book is just as relevant today. Indeed, many of its frightening predictions are now beginning to unfold: like the ability to genetically modify, construct and clone human beings. Although we have not yet begun engineering humans yet, the existence of a society like the one Huxley describes in this novel is not out of reach. In fact, it is becoming more and more attainable with the conglomoration of megacorporations and the advances of scientific research: or more importantly, the applications of scientific breakthroughs like genetic engineering and behavioral science. A frightening projection of what life might be like if society continues along the homogenized scientific, corporate path. A must read for anyone interested in the cultural pluralism/homogenization, spirituality/scientism, nature/nuture debates. An important book, that just happens to be pleasant to read. Two thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: More accurate than the weather forecast
Review: Briefly, this is one of the most accurate insights of modern scientific industrialised society. This is particularly impressive when you consider that is was written early in the 20th century. Indeed, for the sake of universal irony, Huxley had very poor eyesight but gave us this detailed literary vision.

Thoughts.

Soma: Ritalin and Prozac.
Feelies: TV in general, but in particular, shows that endeavour to hijack emotions such as Friends, Big Brother, Survivor, and Temptation Island etc. Those that create more intimacy with fiction than with reality. To be provocative, why did we all say the WTC attack was like a movie?