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melissar's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual content, and Slavery
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Abortion and Suicide
rosalind's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Body shaming, Suicide, Death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Pinched this quote from Neil Postman (with thanks to another reviewer who shared it here first!) - am copying it here for the purposes of my own reading journal. ‘What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.’ I certainly find the world Huxley so daringly and presciently imagined in the 1930s to be chillingly plausible, even recognisable. With that knowledge, I’m now going to go sit and stare blankly at a wall for a while and wonder whether I should rethink my decision to have kids. Fun book lol would recommend to fellow sadists lmfao xoxobluejayreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
I was not entirely sure what to think about this book after finishing it. Despite Aldous Huxley only being 37 when he wrote it, it has a very strong "old man fears societal change and scientific advancement" vibe. I had hoped there was a #disrupttexts discussion about it so I could get some other perspectives, but I can't find one. So I'm left to interpret it on my own. This review may get long.
In the World State, babies are no longer born out of human wombs. Instead, they are grown in test tubes, selected and genetically manipulated from even before the moment a sperm hits an egg in a fertilization tank, and conditioned until age twelve, all in the interest of producing a strictly class-stratified society where each person is genetically manipulated and mentally conditioned to not only accept but love their lot in life. Alphas are the prettiest, tallest, smartest, and one-of-a-kind, and lowly Gammas and Epsilons are conditioned to hate knowledge and beauty and are only one of up to ninety-six genetically identicial people. Excessive consumption is practically law, leisure is mainly sports that require lots of expensive equipment, free sex without commitment is the relationship model, and if you start having negative thoughts, the drug soma will make you feel good again.
In the beginning, the book bounces through a bunch of different characters in the effort of illustrating how the world works. It eventually settles on Bernard Marx as something of a main character. Bernard is very much a misfit in his world - he is much shorter than people of his class (Alpha, the highest) are supposed to be, and he likes solitude and monogamy and doesn't like sports or soma, all of which are considered practically pathological in World State society. But he does desperately want to be accepted and be considered normal.
So when John shows up about halfway through the book, it almost immediately pivots to him as the main character. John is the natural-born son of a woman from the World State who got lost and trapped on a "Savage Reservation." John was born and grew up there, a world where people age, babies come from wombs, honor and suffering are important parts of life, and consumption isn't an option. He is the outsider that challenges the societal norms of the World State because he finds a challenge-free life of uninspired contentment and free sex without romance completely intolerable.
John is portrayed as the "noble savage" (despite being 100% white), the only person in the whole of society who prefers a life with challenge to a life without, who understands that heterosexual monogamous marriage is the only correct sexual arragement, who knows and follows the traditions of past great men, who finds the honor in devotion to religion and its rituals, and who accepts unhappiness as part of the human condition. Bernard likes solitude and doesn't like drugs, but it's implies that he doesn't go far enough. Tradition is better than progress, the book seems to say. Natural things are better than whatever science can come up with, loose women will destory male-female interaction altogether, old works are better than new, letting scientific discoveries and societal advancement keep us from being unhappy is actually a very bad thing. Practically the only thing I agree with this book about is that strictly stratified societies consigning people to a particular caste even before their birth and giving no opportunity for individual choice are a bad thing.
This is a very complex book, and I know there's more to be said about it than what I'm saying here. There's definitely some notes to be made about race, gender, queerness, and religion that I just don't have room for since this review is already so long. I would love to see the people at #disrupttexts put out something on Brave New World with an English teacher's analysis on what this book is trying to say. Despite my mostly-negative-but-still-technically-mixed feelings on the morals here, it actually is an interesting dystopian world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Death of parent and Self harm
Minor: Suicide, Physical abuse, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
laurendenton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Violence, Suicide, Sexual content, and Self harm
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infertility, and Pregnancy
mira123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Brave New World" stand ursprünglich auf der Liste für meine Bachelorarbeit, ich musste diesen Text dann aber leider wieder streichen. Mein Professor hatte Zweifel, dass ich es schaffe, so viele Texte in meiner Bachelorarbeit zu behandeln - und wahrscheinlich hatte er Recht, wenn ich bedenke, dass ich am Ende meiner Arbeit noch zehn Seiten streichen musste.
In "Brave New World" geht es um eine Zukunft, in der jeder Mensch zufrieden mit seiner Position ist, egal wie schlecht sie auch aus heutiger Situation wirken mag. Wie die Menschheit das geschafft hat? Genmanipulation, die Erschaffung von Klonen und frühkindliche Prägung. Wenn man eine Firma eröffnet und dafür Fließbandarbeiter braucht, die eintönige Arbeit lieben, dann musst du nur ein bisschen vorausplanen und bekommst eine ganze Armee an Menschen geliefert. Diese Vorstellung, dass Menschen so zur Ware werden, fand ich verdammt gruselig. Und auch, wieweit sich die Gehirnwäsche hier weiterentwickelt hat. Und die betrifft hier nicht nur die unteren Schichten, sondern jeden. Die Geschichte wird nämlich aus der Sicht von Menschen der Oberschicht erzählt und auch die wissen, dass es nicht erwünscht ist, irgendwas zu hinterfragen. Erschreckend fand ich auch, dass in dieser Zukunft alles so sexuell geprägt ist und zwar von Kindesbeinen an. Orgien werden von öffentlicher Hand gefördert und in den Umkleidekabinen von Arbeitsplätzen gibt es...spezielles Spielzeug, das auch fröhlich benutzt wird. Wer nicht regelmäßig neue Partner:innen hat, wird als abnormal und krank angesehen. Ich würde mich nicht als prüde ansehen, aber das hier war ein bisschen viel, vor allem, weil es so unerwartet kam. Ich wusste nicht viel über "Brave New World" bevor ich es selbst gelesen habe.
Die interessanteste Figur war meiner Meinung nach John. Er ist außerhalb dieses Systems aufgewachsen und hat als einer von sehr wenigen Menschen der Welt Eltern, die er noch dazu kennt. Natürlich gezeugte Kinder würde man normalerweise abtreiben lassen. Doch Johns Mutter wurde in einem Reservat vergessen, in dem die Welt noch sehr ähnlich wie Huxleys Gegenwart zu sein scheint. Durch Bernard und Lenina wird er in die "Zivilisation" gebracht und darf die moderne Welt kennenlernen. Natürlich ist er total überwältigt, aber irgendwie auch enttäuscht. Ihn schreckt die Welt ab, sie macht ihn krank. Dazu kommt, dass er nicht als Mensch gesehen wird, sondern als Obskurität, die man wie ein Tier im Zoo bewundern kann.
Mein Fazit? Schnappt euch diesen Klassiker und lest ihn. Er ist erschreckend und unglaublich spannend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion
worm_book's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really thought-provoking, and spookily close to the way society is going. I am glad I didn't miss this classic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide
madmilliner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
This book is gross. It is meant to be a warning against excess, and the pursuit of happiness above all else, but, is so unnerving and bizarre that it just feels campy, and emotionally manipulative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Death, and Suicide
teddieplaysbass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I didn’t like this for the same reasons I didn’t like Fahrenheit 451. The Mildred copy-paste (idk if bnw or 451 came first but the sexism is the same). A lot of the ideas are really cool, but the way they are executed in this book are kinda..... I’m listening to the overdue podcast episode abt this book and I think I’m enjoying hearing them talk abt it more than I did reading the book tbh lmaooo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion and Domestic abuse
somnimah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, and Death of parent