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lanko's review
5.0
The most impressive thing of the book was how Orwell himself changed some of his views over time, specially some he was very adamant early on.
The book spans essays over decades, and Orwell is really good at giving a clear picture of the situation of the time, but intentionally or not, giving hints of himself as a person.
While it's clear Orwell has an obvious preference for an economic system, over time he changed views on some of the things he endorsed early, but better yet, and what gives him a lot of respect, is how that he also never looked the other way about the wrongdoing, corruption and mistakes of his own side as well.
Better yet, he also called his side on it loud and clear, often incurring the wrath of people (political parties, biased journalists and so on) who decided to simply pretend to be blind.
In times where political discussion can ridiculously escalate, and when bias often make people extremely partial, it's refreshing to see someone who clearly has his own preferences, but always called the bullshit his own side was doing as well.
After all, blind following is exactly what people in power want. It's practically a free pass for corruption, abuse and other things, which makes for a worse government for all.
The book spans essays over decades, and Orwell is really good at giving a clear picture of the situation of the time, but intentionally or not, giving hints of himself as a person.
While it's clear Orwell has an obvious preference for an economic system, over time he changed views on some of the things he endorsed early, but better yet, and what gives him a lot of respect, is how that he also never looked the other way about the wrongdoing, corruption and mistakes of his own side as well.
Better yet, he also called his side on it loud and clear, often incurring the wrath of people (political parties, biased journalists and so on) who decided to simply pretend to be blind.
In times where political discussion can ridiculously escalate, and when bias often make people extremely partial, it's refreshing to see someone who clearly has his own preferences, but always called the bullshit his own side was doing as well.
After all, blind following is exactly what people in power want. It's practically a free pass for corruption, abuse and other things, which makes for a worse government for all.
pearseanderson's review
3.0
A good collection, Orwell is a fantastic writer, but some pieces were drearily boring or got bogged down by their length and complexity. Interesting topics, for the most part though. Some great points and perspectives, but others were just "eh".
collismeanshill's review
2.0
The repeated derogatory terms for and opinions of other nations/nationalities was excessively distracting, but I do understand that I read this long after the author’s time and well into an age of multiculturalism and fluid borders. The author’s reputed and self-announced staunch support for the oppressed appears flaccid however in the face of such attitudes and beliefs. A fan of several of his works, I admit that Orwell is an excellent writer. He expresses his own deplorable ideas extremely well here, too.