Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

At the beginning of the school year, one of my students did a very fascinating presentation on Brave New World, and I decided that I would read it.

I am so happy that the school where I teach has copies of this book in the book room, because if I had spent money on this book, I would be quite unhappy.

Brave New World is a satirical novel that is attempting to look at the dangers of a totalitarian government controlled society.

In this novel:

"People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get. They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're never afraid of death; they are blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they are plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they are so conditioned that they are practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there's soma." (Brave New World P. 220)

Does this quote remind you of another book that I wrote about? The Giver......

Both novel deals with the theme of a society that is totally controlled by the government. In The Giver, the plot is driven by the characters, and I was able to completely identify with the characters  and this style of writing assisted me in liking this novel a lot. However, Brave New World is plot driven, and I found that the details that were given about the society could have been condensed to move the story line alone. I really did not get into this novel until near the end, and by that time, I had already lost interest.

This book is highly respected in the literary world and is read in schools around the globe. So, to be in the know, I suggest reading this book. But, definitely do not pick up this book to read for pleasure....

If you have read this book...holler at me!