A review by farbooksventure
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

I still need to sit on this book for a little bit.

Generally speaking, I find myself like Brave New World the most. Especially in comparison to other dystopian works like 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, or Fahrenheit 451.

 "‘And that’, put in the Director sententiously, ‘that is the secret of happiness and virtue – liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny."

The part that sticks with me the most is this: when John realizes the freedom & happiness that comes with knowing what words to use to describe what he feels. That moment when you realize how important language is for self-actualization… Life-changing stuff, indeed.

The way dystopian works play around with language has always intrigued me. Even with 1984, the part that I remembered most is the whole newspeak thing & how they constantly edit dictionaries to simplify words.

I suddenly remember why I keep seeking dystopian works to read even after all these years.