1984

George Orwell

Sep 2013 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

With extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity, George Orwell’s 1984 takes on new life in this edition.

“Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.”—The New Yorker
 
In 1984, London is a grim city in the totalitarian state of Oceania where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.

Lionel Trilling said of Orwell’s masterpiece, “1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present.” Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell’s novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.

Ratings and reviews

Without giving away to many details this book is about a totalitarian bug brother state that has taken over the US. This book was made far before it's time based upon world events in other countries. It was a reminder to not let history repeat its self. This book is timeless and should be read and re-read throughout time.

This book is a must read for every generation. I read it many years ago when I was in my 20's and just read it again at 49. It's more relevant than ever with the political climate we're living in right now and is shockingly accurate in the predictions of the way our lives are today in many aspects.

The strongest argument for the development of critical thinking skills I have come across. Should be required reading, but only in the context of critical thinking. It would be far too easy to project ones political fears onto this well crafted world.

About the author

GEORGE ORWELL (1903–1950) was born in India and served with the Imperial Police in Burma before joining the Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. Orwell was the author of six novels, including 1984 and Animal Farm, as well as numerous essays and nonfiction works.