Brave New World

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Summary: Test Tubes and Hypnopedia¿ Society in the Future
Review: Predicting the future is a risky business, often complicated by unpredictable discoveries and changes in the world. Aldous Huxley, with his book Brave New World, seems to have no trouble at all. Brave New World is an excellent book about a utopia set hundreds of years in the future, where Henry Ford is worshipped as a religious figure and everyone is at peace with one another. People are trained for their jobs from the embryo, babies are "decanted" from test tubes, and parenthood is looked on with disgust. But in the city of London, England, a man named Bernard Marx starts to question civilized life, beginning to want a long-term relationship, a family, knowledge- all forbidden things in the future.
One reason that I recommend this book is the incredible way in which Huxley portrays the "future", as of the early 1930's. Things such as scent organs, portable music devices, and transatlantic flights definitely didn't exist back when Brave New World was written, yet he predicted them surprisingly well. He even got the time of the jet to America correct, around six-and-a-half hours. His accuracy with the future is one of the reasons why this book is still in print after around seventy years, as a matter of fact.
A second reason to read this book is Huxley's character development. As Bernard begins to realize that civilization and the world he lives in is controlled, distorted, and altogether wrong, he begins to affect society with these different ideas. This causes others to start questioning the way that they were raised, all of their beliefs, and the world that they live in. What do they know for a fact, and what was hypnopedically taught to them while they slept? What's more important, happiness or knowledge? What is right?
However, he did make one small error when guessing what the future would be like. Nuclear power can't be found anywhere in the book, even though it was a hot topic back in the thirties, when Brave New World was written. Huxley mentions this in an article he wrote around twenty years later, talking about how inexcusable that mistake was- but is it really? Fusion will probably be a huge source of power in the future, but who knows? Things change, a better source of power may be discovered, anything. And is that really a good reason not to read this book? It's certainly excellent in many other ways. I really think that this is a great book, and is definitely worth reading. It will introduce you to new ways of thinking, give you an enlightened view of the world, and maybe even change your life.

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Summary: Brave New World
Review: This book is a true marvel. Huxley had tremendous insight considering this book was written in the twenties. This is very much the world as it is becoming in Western Civilization. Huxley paints the terrible picture of a perverted society where the individual is not capable of being an individual at all.

If I may then I'll compare this to 1984. This is totally different. Instead of a super state or "Big Brother" control over the masses through brute force, here we have a society of people who are living in a very perfect and peaceful world where people are bred through a mechanized process. The family has been successfully destroyed. Through genetics a caste has been put into place and each person seeks his own happiness or contentment.

Emotion is almost a crime in a Brave New World, while sexual promiscuity is encouraged. The people here never want to feel unpleasant and they ignore things that are plainly unjust. The people live in an almost drugged state where entertainment, recreational drug use, and easy sex are the substance of life.

This book really brings it all home. The problems today that face us are spinning out of control because the people care no longer. Morality in the freedom of the individual has been replaced in the Brave New World by a sort of political correctness that is more of a collective sense of what is right and what is wrong that is conditioned into the fetus as it is developing.

This is a great book today and will be a great book tomorrow as the human race is constantly increasing in technoloy. This book offers a choice between total security and safety (and a bland life) or an uncertain life where every man is his or her own master of destiny and may stand as a individual and free. We all must be forever on our guard of our rights or we may wake one day and find our selves living in a Brave New World.

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Summary: Plotless Wonder
Review: Huxley made a great setting. That's about all that's great. The novel had no plot and little character development. It's definitely not worth reading by choice. I think that a better writer could have developed the first few chapters into a wonderful storyline given the chance.

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Summary: Aldous Huxley's second most definitive novel
Review: After "Point Counter Point" "Brave New World" is the novel that really put Mr. Huxley on the "map". Although he was criticized nonstop in his time by his peers, today this novel is seen as it was supposed to be seen back in 1932. To begin with, this novel is supposed to represent a Utopia, a perfect world if you will. Happiness is wide spread, and people are broken down into categories. Alpha-plus, Alpha-minus, Beta-plus, Beta-minus, so on and so on, Greek letter after Greek letter. But, because of severe, extra severe conditioning, they like the jobs they work in, and wouldn't be happy anywhere else. Sex, and public sexual experiences are as common as soma usage. No one really cares what anyone else does, sexually atleast. They have also soma. Soma is a hallucinagene times 20, and it effects the body very little, and soma is legal. Often in this novel people take "Soma-holidays", which is a bit of eternity and bliss in 6 or 12 hours. The conditioning starts before the babies are even out of the test tube, and it works very good. Bernard Marx is the first main character that we run into, some other major players are Lenina, John (The Savage), and William Helmholtz. Unlike most books, this one has no main character, there is 3 main players in this novel, and it changes back to each regularly. Bernard Marx is a hypocrite pretty much, he says something and does another. It is said that alcohol was put into his blood-surrogate on accident, because of his stunted growth, and his surreal ideas.
Well, there is a lot more that I could write, but then you would get no surprises. You will enjoy this book, and I know views on this book vary widely, and I'm sure one stars on this book have some good points just like 5 stars. It depends on your mindset, and what you believe in. This novel will make you think, and I know that I will reread it in the future. "Brave New World" was written by a very open minded author, and if you read his other novels you will see just how open minded. Amazon gives a good deal on the book, so, if you can then I suggest you buy it here. This edition of the novel contains a forward by the author a decade or more after he wrote it, saying what he thinks is missing from his novel, and also a small biography of Aldous Huxley in the back. Enjoy!
Mark_Sigel

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Summary: Science in err
Review: This book demonstrates the current errors in our ways as humans and our "pursuit of happiness." All the time we continually make things better and try to make our lives easier, and generally only the lucky few of us get to enjoy these things. Brave New World is about a book in which humans are cloned into their social castes and are to either live a working life or an easy life in which there is no point but happiness. The lower classes are subdued by "perfect" drugs. This book will open your eyes and make you look at the current seperation between rich and poor and hopefully help you understand the serious implications it might have. It will prove to you that there really is no such thing as a perfect world.

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Summary: Raises questions that we've yet to answer
Review: Ah yes, after hearing President Bush's decision to federally fund stem cell research, I quickly dashed to my computer and here I am, writing a review for Huxley's Brave New World. Although commonly refered to with Orwell's 1984, Brave New World uses a different road to reach dystopia. In 1984, Orwell uses fear and supressing people as a means of governing, and uses constant war to maintain economic equilibrium. However, Huxley's world is completely at peace, there are no wars, and relys on creating a world of statisfaction for people, and wasting resources is the chief means of keeping the economy in stasis. Huxley depicts capitalists gaining control of the world, not Orwell and his stalinists, which is more plausible, and even does a convincing job showing what we may be like in eighty (yes, I am bold enough to say eighty years only) years. IF YOU DECIDE TO BUY THIS BOOK, Huxley wrote an essay reflecting upon Brave New World, and aptly dubbed it Brave New World Revisited. It would be an indespensible guide to getting a proper reading of such a good book (however, it doesn't get 5 stars because Dostoyevsky is much much better)

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Summary: Important Message to All
Review: I would like to say that everyone should read this book, but too many people will misinterpret it to support exactly what it condemns.

In today's consumer driven world, this book presents a horrifying reality in which everything is based on buying "new things" ignoring all things old and great such as Shakespeare and God. On the surface, this seems appealing. Everyone is happy and if you're not, you can just take a little drug to escape your pain. Not only is this legal, it's encouraged.

Consummerism has reached a point where all old values such as family, marriage, and love are considered immoral. Art and literature is banned.

Those who need to read this the most are those today who fail to see the value of art and literature in society. Unfortunately, those people will probably ignore this book altogether or not understand it. And possibly, too, they may even like the society presented here. So I would like everyone to read this book, but that just cannot happen.

No Heaven above us and no Hell below us. No countries. Nothing to live or die for. But sorry Mr. Lennon-there are many many possessions.

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Summary: A great statement
Review: This is a must read for those concerned about genetic engineering and human cloning and such issues. The great story that accompanies Huxley's distrust of those that dare to tamper with nature does not bode well for those who do not believe we lose our own humanity the more we consider others less important than ourselves.

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Summary: mmhmm, baby!!
Review: While A Brave New World gives readers a brief glance into the complex reality of a technologically conditioned society, Huxley's main criticism centralizes around the notion of the absence of humanity and individuality as a result of "COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, and STABILITY." Huxley's novel is not an attack on knowledge or the advancement of science, rather it is a commentary on the effects of applied science and the consequences of tampering with Mother Nature's natural course. Basically, it's a horrifying novel that makes your brain think in ways that experience has taught you to eliminate and neglect. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Hard-core non-fiction--it is whatever you want to call it and so much more. A definite read.

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Summary: Orwell did it better, but its still a good book
Review: A very good book with very good points, i would suggest that you read 1984 or We also, i fell that Orwell did a much better job with his negative-Utopia