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1984, the single best fiction book about the terrible way our world is headed, the evils of communism, and the meaning of life, ever. really makes you not take things for granted, and makes you distrust politicians.

Note that it was writen in the 60s, so the analogies and info are dated, but is doesn't detract from the book at all.

Lord Thanatos wrote: the evils of communism.

Evil of communism...what evils?

I didnt really like it, it was to oh god I dont know, I just really didnt care for it at all. Probably because I was force to read it in High School.

I read it for Pleasure and I hated it. There was no uplifting outcome. Now hint at how to save ourselves once we sign power away.

Lord Thanatos wrote: the evils of communism

i dont agree with that. the book was about the evils of tyrants not communism. although i will agree it was communism miss-applied in the worst possible way.

i loved it aswell, couldnt put it down.

It was published in 1949. This is one of my favorite books of all time.

Lol i was just about to make a thread about this book I loved at it

It was published in 1949 not 1960's

It's about the evil's of Socialism not Communism and actually hints that communism is the better way

Overall very depressing mood but i still like it because i'm into that futurey stuff

Sheer brilliance. Not so much about communism, more elected tyranny. And the concept of the "unperson" is alive and well today, especially in a particular South American country.

I also think that if George Orwell were to see what they have done with the whole "Big Brother" thing he would be jitterbugging in his grave.

Now Animal Farm is more about communism.

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Not sure why I didn't pick up on this when it was posted. <_<

Apollo wrote:Now Animal Farm is more about communism.

I agree, and I do love Animal Farm, almost prefer it to 1984.
To call either "the single best fiction book about the terrible way our world is headed" however, is imho, a strech.

Lord Thanatos wrote:really makes you not take things for granted, and makes you distrust politicians.

Watching C-Span or reading history will do the same
I found it much more interesting as a work on the malleability of the masses, and the danger of the mass media.

1984 was one of my favorite books since i first read it in HS (around 10 years ago). I always considered the book to be a warning against Totalitarianism. Orwell lived in both Spain and Russian saw what the governments would do to maintain their power, and saw how technology could be used to sustain the elite. Because of Orwell's notes and discourses on Communism and how he would say he was appalled about the treatment of the people i think it is fair to say it was at least in part an influencing factor in 1984.

Some other dystopia books you might enjoy if you liked it: Brave New World - Huxley, and We - Yevgeny Zamyatin. Both are enjoyable reads.

It's an amazing book by an amazing author.

And I've always considered Animal Farm to be less a critique of communism itself, but rather a condemnation of what can happen when communist ideals are corrupted. A la Stalinism. Orwell wrote in one of his essays that he considered communism to be a good idea in principal, but thoroughly unworkable in reality.

It also hits home the point that instead of greed being the cause for progress as in capitalism that in the book fear is the reason the government works. The most reliable governments either use fear or greed, I wish that something better could be invented....

1984 is about totalitarianism.
animal far is about communism.

now: not every totalitarianism is a communism, it can be something else, but every communism by it's very nature and definition has to be totalitarianism.

if you like this kind read "brave new world" by aldous huxley or watch the movie "equilibrium".

I have read Brave New World and seen Equilibrium.

Brave New World and 1984 were awesome

omg i did this book for my novel study in grade 10, freaking hated it, read the first 33 pages, and i was like..screw this, sparknotes ftw