1984 (Signet Classics)

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"Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere."

The year is 1984; the scene is London, largest population center of Airstrip One.

Airstrip One is part of the vast political entity Oceania, which is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities, Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant "correction" of such records. "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"

In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party's official image of the world is a fluid fiction. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit from reasoned inquiry to sexual passion. 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.

Newspeak, doublethink, thoughtcrime--in 1984, George Orwell created a whole vocabulary of words concerning totalitarian control that have since passed into our common vocabulary. More importantly, he has portrayed a chillingly credible dystopia. In our deeply anxious world, the seeds of unthinking conformity are everywhere in evidence; and Big Brother is always looking for his chance. --Daniel Hintzsche

Book Description

George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision of "Negative Utopia" is timelier than ever-and its warnings more powerful.

Customer Reviews:

A Dystopian Vision.......2007-10-07

"1984" may well be the poster child for the genre of dystopian literature. Personally, I thought Orwell was most successful when it came to describing the society around Winston or the psychological struggle during the interogations. The love story was a weaker part of the book (for me).
Unlike Huxley's "Brave New World", Orwell dosen't try to go for dark humor but instead uses the society of fear to convey his views on totalitarinism to the audience. Personally I thought Orwell's characters weren't as interesting as those in Huxley's or Lewis's dystopian novels (C.S. Lewis wrote "That Hideous Strenght"). The concept for Room 101 was imaginative but almost seemed to give the Ocenaian officials an unrealistic advantage (personally, I feel some people could have overcome even fear). Perhaps I shouldn't get on to Orwell too much over this; after all Lewis's villans tried to overcome human nature in their own ways as well.
Overall, Orwell wrote an interesting work. It is even more interesting when one compares the totalitarianism of Oceania to that of the U.S.S.R. (notice that Big Brother and Goldstein have some resemblances to Stalin and Trotsky). I am currently reading a book far more chilling than Orwell's fiction. "The Gulag Archipelago" would make a very good companion to "1984" as it gives a picture of actual totalitarianism at the time when Orwell wrote his fictional masterpiece.

Chilling, Yet Moving In Places.......2007-09-26

This book relates the experiences of one Winston Smith in a world where all people belong to one of three totalitarian superpowers. In this dystopian novel, the state requires nothing less than the complete submission of individuals' inner thoughts. "The Party is not interested in the overt act: the thought is all we care about." There is no escape ("Nobody ever escaped detection, and nobody ever failed to confess.") and no practical hope for a free future where human rights would exist once more.

The story is beautiful in parts--such as in the places where it deals with a forbidden love and an individual's struggle to maintain his identity--and incredibly hopeless in others. Orwell is an amazing writer and I spent a lot of time underlining different phrases and sentences. This book is frightening. As Erich Fromm writes in the afterword, "...it would be most unfortunate if the reader smugly interpreted 1984 as another description of Stalinist barbarism, and if he does not see that it means us, too." I recommend this book to all.

A must for any library..........2007-09-15

"He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."

My definition of a truly classic novel is one that is so talked about and referenced that you can know all about the book and it's message without having ever actually read it. 1984 is one of the most glaring examples of this, as terms such as "Big Brother" and "Doublespeak" are now mainstream concepts that no longer require explanation.

The book itself gained its popularity, however, by successfully reaching a broad audience by exaggerating and reducing the complicated debate of the illusion of free will and freedom of thought in any kind of government structure that strives to control and manipulate the populace for its own benefit in an almost unbelievable science fiction setting. The extremes that are reached in 1984's may seem only possible in a work of fiction, yet there is a truth beneath the pulp novel trappings that most readers can not avoid recognizing.

Note: For those who have already read this, I have a suggestion. Read 1984 again, only assume that the book actually takes place in our modern times, and that the narrator is a paranoid schizophrenic.

In a time of accelerating technology, are we prepared for the inevitable?.......2007-09-14

George Orwell's 1984 is no longer a thing of the future.

The Internet is everywhere--including your wireless cameraphone.

Digital technology makes surveillance push-button easy. Those in power cannot resist. And we even do it to ourselves using social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Soon, every phone will incorporate GPS location technology.

Are we prepared for the inevitable?

In a time when the pace of technology continues to accelerate, Orwell's classic has never been more relevant.

One of the classics.......2007-09-13

This book is one of my all time favorites. Classic in every respect of the word. George Orwell's vision should be taken with a grain of salt, but look at all the striking similarities there are to the world that we live in. With all the recent and upcoming advances in science and technology we would do well to remember the world in 1984.

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Big Brother Is Watching You.
Apocalypse Now and Then
One of my favorites...
Required Reading for any thinking person
A few thoughts on my favorite book...

Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0452284236
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Book Description

Thought Police. Big Brother. Orwellian. These words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984. The story of one man's nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory, 1984 is a prophetic, haunting tale.

More relevant than ever before, 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable-the destruction of truth, freedom, and individuality.
With a new forward by Thomas Pynchon.

Customer Reviews:

Big Brother Is Watching You........2007-09-24

_Nineteen Eighty Four_, first published in 1949 by George Orwell (pen name of Eric Blair), is a horrifying dystopian novel of a world in which the individual human being has been completely degraded and deprived of his fundamental humanity that reflects the totalitarianisms of the day, particularly communism and Stalinism. George Orwell (1903 - 1950) was the pen name of the British author Eric Blair, who developed an early enmity towards those in power and their abuses of power. Orwell was a socialist but came to witness the horrors of the Soviet state and the betrayal of his ideals by Stalinists. As such, Orwell came to loathe totalitarianism in general and wrote novels showing the degrading effects such societies had on people. Throughout this book, one can witness the underlying hatred of Orwell and those imprisoned by the system for the totalitarian state and bureaucracy which completely controls their lives and existences. This book in particular shows that rage in the main character of Winston Smith, a mere pawn in a totalitarian society. Orwell's books are indeed prophetic and show us a world in which the very life-force has been sapped out of mankind by those in power. Orwell imagines a highly efficient totalitarian state, capable of enforcing political correctness at the highest levels, tampering with the memories of men, and maintaining a total disregard for the truth. Orwell shows how under such regimes the very notion of truth becomes suspect and the individual can no longer distinguish between fact and state propaganda. This particularly applies to the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin, which is the primary setting for Orwell's stories. However, Orwell's books are also applicable to the West of today, where the constant menace of totalitarian ideology exists.

_1984_ gives us a whole slew of new terminology to describe the situation as it exists in a totalitarian state in which political correctness is enforced. The book introduces such terms as thought police, thought crime (and thought criminal), doublethink, memory hole, Ingsoc, and Newspeak. Such terms reflect the complete disregard of the totalitarian state for the truth and the active promotion of propaganda within society. They have also largely entered into our culture as expressions to describe the enforcement of political correctness.

_1984_ focuses on the main character Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party who lives in England and works for the Ministry of Truth. As it turns out, the Ministry of Truth ironically is responsible for spreading propaganda, and as all ministries mentioned by Orwell has a purpose exactly opposite to its stated purpose. The world of 1984 is a very bleak one indeed, run by a single party and its ruling leader "Big Brother", in which all individuals are subject to surveillance by the state should they commit a "thought crime". All expressions of individuality in 1984 have been wiped out and the human being is totally degraded living a pathetic existence of total subservience to the party. Sexuality has been suppressed as part of the "Anti-sex League" as well as religion. Truth itself is highly malleable and memory is constantly distorted, reflected in such ironical and oxymoronic sayings of the party as "War Is Peace", "Freedom Is Slavery", and "Ignorance Is Strength". Further, the nation of Oceania is constantly at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia, varying from day to day and reflected in the official propaganda of the state bureaucracy. All party members revere their leader "Big Brother" (perhaps reminiscent of Josef Stalin or other totalitarian dictators) and despise the rebellious "Goldstein" (perhaps reminiscent of the Soviet hatred for Leon Trotsky). Further, the party exists in a caste system in which the "proles" (the proletariat) live underneath the party members (who are divided into the Inner and Outer Party). Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth but begins to keep a diary (which is strictly forbidden to party members) in which he reflects his hatred for "Big Brother". His work involves developing propaganda for the party. At work he meets up with Julia, who he initially believes is a strict orthodox member of the party. However, eventually he comes to realize that Julia is in love with him and they have a secret encounter in the countryside. Eventually Julia expresses to Winston her complete loathing for the party, though she publicly maintains a persona of utter obeisance and orthodoxy and belongs to the "Anti-sex League". Together they find a new hiding place in a shop in a part of the city where the "proles" live and attempt to re-discover the past of England. Throughout this period, however, the two live in constant fear of the thought police, should they catch onto their affair. Eventually, Winston meets up with O'Brien at work, a man who he believes is a member of the Resistance, and is given a copy of Goldstein's book which explains the rise of the party and the need for perpetual war. Orwell quotes extensively from Goldstein's book which reflects much of the social thinking of the time, in particular the theory of managerial elites. However, Winston and Julia are captured by the party and it turns out that O'Brien is in fact a member of the party. While taken captive, both are tortured and made to recant their original beliefs about the party. In a particularly disgusting scene, Winston is taken to Room 101 where he must face his worst fear. There he ultimately betrays Julia (as she has already betrayed him) to save himself from being tortured by rats (the worst torture that he can imagine). Eventually, Winston is completely re-educated and made to love "Big Brother" while his relationship with Julia is forever changed after their mutual betrayals of each other. Thus, ends in the most horrifying of manners Orwell's classic novel. Orwell concludes with an appendix on "The Principles of Newspeak" which effectively shows how even the language itself can be put to the purposes of propaganda within a totalitarian state.

_1984_ remains a classic dystopia reflecting the darker side of human existence within the Twentieth Century as it played out in the totalitarian dictatorships of the age. Throughout this novel, the very notion of truth remains problematic, as the party re-defines history to reflect its own agenda and thus even memory itself becomes distorted. Orwell shows the sheer degradation that the human being undergoes within such a surveillance society, to the eventual point where a man can be tortured by the powers that be to such an extent that he will eventually even renounce his love and embrace the figure he hates the most. While the novel is made to reflect Soviet society and Stalinism in particular, it also reflects the modern world in general, in which large-scale and efficient bureaucratic structures rob man of his humanity. Orwell's novels prove particularly prescient warnings to mankind to avoid the dangers of totalitarianism. As such, they should be read by all thinking individuals who seek to understand the horrors that can be inflicted upon the human being through totalistic societies.

Apocalypse Now and Then.......2007-09-17

"1984"--or "Nineteen Eighty-Four" in the Oldspeak--is one of those books prophecizing doom that has remained relevant enough to generate a famous Macintosh commercial, a "Simpsons" parody, and a reality television series named for it among other things. What allows "1984" to remain in our consciousness and not a relic of the post-World War II, Cold War, Atomic Age era is that like the book of Revelations, "1984"'s dire predictions can be adapted for each new generation.

"1984"'s epic battle of good versus evil doesn't take place on any plain of Armageddon, but rather within the mind of one man: Winston Smith. Winston is a 39-year-old man who works for the Party at the Ministry of Truth, which has an ironic name because Winston's job is actually to doctor reality so that the Party always appears infallible. Winston sees that while the Party, under the leadership of Big Brother, claims surpluses of everything, no one can buy simple items like razor blades or shoelaces. As he becomes disillusioned by the Party's rule, he and a young woman named Julia begin a torrid secret affair. Then he is contacted by a man high up in the Party named O'Brien who works for a resistance group known as the Brotherhood. But before he can help the Brotherhood, Winston is betrayed, arrested, and taken to the dungeons of the Ministry of Love, where he endures physical and psychological torment that threatens to break him and strip him of all humanity.

As it is written, Big Brother and his Party would seem to represent the fascist or Communist movements of the 1940s. Taken literally it would be easy to dismiss the book as an archaic remnant of Cold War hysteria. But the beauty of "1984" is that because it focuses on the internal struggle for Winston Smith's soul, it can transcend all that. For the warning in "1984" isn't about communism or fascism, but the threat of letting anyone crush the human spirit through overbearing dogma.

Much like faithful Christians of every generation have painted everyone from the Pope to Hitler as the Antichrist, every generation looks for its Big Brother. From communists to corporations to churches, individual readers can read "1984" and make their own interpretations of who or what Big Brother and the Party represent. But no matter how each of us sees it, the general warning should be clear: the human spirit is our most precious possession and must be retained at all costs.

That is all.

One of my favorites..........2007-09-11

This is one of my favorite books of all time, right up there with Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. If you haven't read this book, and you are into politics, it is a must read for everyone!

Required Reading for any thinking person.......2007-08-15

1984 should be required reading for any thinking person. Not only is the base story line compelling and thought provoking as a lesson on the more obvious problems presented in Orwell's dystopia, the ideas and thoughts presented through such things as the book the "resistance" reads are extremely relavent to today's world. The view of the military-industrial complex and how it helped lead to the society shown are amazingly prescient of how many industrialized nations are conducting business in modern society.

A few thoughts on my favorite book..........2007-08-09

Reading this book as an impressionable youth back in 1976 turned me, in many ways, into who I am today, thirty-plus years later. Never trusting the official government story, whether it be the Kennedy or Martin Luther King assassinations or the official 9/11 conspiracy theory. I realize that the powers that be always have their own agenda, which invariably differs completely from the people's interests. It has led me to do my own research (now far easier on the internet than in the NYC libraries with their budget-slashed hours I could never coordinate with). It has led down some frightening paths that more people should be going down, for truly we are living in Nineteen Eighty-Four this very minute.
And as a bit of clarification, Orwell was not "predicting" this dystopia for 1984, as some have written here. He was not a soothsayer. With this book he artfully expounds on his experiences working in the real "Ministry of Truth" during World War II: the BBC's Propaganda department. The date 1984 is a simple juxtaposition of the date in which he wrote the book, 1948. Another way of saying, "today". And to me, that's far scarier than some date off in the future.

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VERY helpful
A tremendous help
good to read with the book
read the book

1984 (Cliffs Notes)
Nikki Moustaki , and Gilbert Borman
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
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ASIN: 0764585851

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

CliffsNotes on 1984 introduces you to the modern world as imagined by George Orwell, a place where humans have no control over their own lives, where nearly every positive feeling is squelched, and where people live in misery, fear, and repression.

Orwell’s vision of the future may be grim, but your understanding of his novel can be bright thanks to detailed summaries and commentaries for every chapter. Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of major players
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Critical essays
A review section that tests your knowledge
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description

Published in 1949, Orwell's representation of a future society projected certain aspects of life in his contemporary world. It is an anti-utopian novel, foretelling a future that is too centrally organized and controlled to allow individualism and creativity.

Customer Reviews:

VERY helpful.......2005-12-01

I'm usually the type to read a book and not use the Cliffs Notes for it (mainly because their use is discouraged in my AP English class). However, I found this particular Cliffs Notes to be very helpful. The authors expounded on some topics I already knew were there and showed many others that, had I not read the Notes, probably never would have picked up on. It is also very well-written, in language that even someone who hasn't already read 1984 would understand. It helped me out a lot and I will keep using Cliffs Notes- if their quality is as good as this one's.

A tremendous help.......2002-07-30

As an English teacher, I really hate it when my students read the cliff notes instead of the book, but I do believe well-written Cliff notes can dramatically increase a student's understanding of a book by introducing ideas, concepts, and symbols the student might have missed and by presenting issues that help the student think about the book. That's just what these Cliff Notes do, and I even use them in my class. I've found they really help to fuel discussions and increase everybody's meaningful experience of the book. I highly recommend them.

good to read with the book.......2001-08-03

I had to read 1984 for a class I was taking and I bought the Cliffs Notes to go with it and it really helped. A lot of 1984 was pretty obvious, but most of it wasn't, and the Cliffs Notes to it were really good and made me understand the book a lot better. I highly suggest that someone reading 1984 buy it.

read the book.......2001-06-16

I decided to read the cliffnotes instead of rereading the book before I had a test on it. It was awful, the cliffnotes completely fail to really illustrate the ideas George Orwell was trying to convey. 1984 is an excellent book and well worth the time to read it.

George Orwell: Animal Farm, Burmese Days, A Clergyman's Daughter, Coming Up for Air, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Nineteen Eighty-Four: Complete & Unabridged

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Good book, but NOT every word Orwell wrote

George Orwell: Animal Farm, Burmese Days, A Clergyman's Daughter, Coming Up for Air, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Nineteen Eighty-Four: Complete & Unabridged
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Octopus/Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0905712048

Book Description

Animal Farm; Burmese Days; A Clergyman's Daughter; Coming up for Air; Keep the Aspidistra Flying; Nineteen Eighty-Four

Customer Reviews:

Good book, but NOT every word Orwell wrote.......2004-07-07

It only contains what the description says it contains: "Animal Farm", "Burmese Days", "A Clergyman's Daughter", "Coming up for Air", "Keep the Aspidistra Flying", and "1984". These particular writings are complete and unabridged, but these are not the complete writings of Orwell.

Of course they're good, but the title is very misleading. Don't be fooled into thinking it's everything he wrote.

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The Larger Evils: Nineteen Eighty-Four the Truth Behind the Satire
W. J. West
Manufacturer: Canongate Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0862413826

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GEORGE ORWELL WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS BOOK!

EXCELLENT READ

THIS IS A VERY ENGROSSING AND ENLIGHTENING READ

This Book Could Be Invaluable If It Works For You

An Interesting Study

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses
Heather Botting , and Gary Botting
Manufacturer: University of Toronto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802065457

Customer Reviews:

GEORGE ORWELL WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS BOOK!.......2006-12-15

I'm saddened that this book is not part of the Search This Book program. The author ought to sign it up and get it in so that readers can browze this book online. If they did so it would renew interest in this marvelously insightful and illuminating volume. Also, the book should be updated because the authors accurately predicted exactly what would occur in the Orwellian World of JW's from 1984 onward.

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses describes to an uncanny "T" my exact experiences with the Watchtower Slaves in my teens.

I was saddenned to see only two reviews of this book. I suspect this book did not do nearly was well as it should have. My educated guess is that most Americans are unfamiliar with the term "Orwellian" because they have never heard of or read George Orwell's chillingly prophetic novel "1984." "Orwellian" means a group of people who are tightly controlled from the top down by a powerful group that has life-or-death authority. Every aspect of life is controlled by this group, and spies are everywhere observing and reporting, and lethal action is taken upon dissidents.

That describes the organization and life of Jehovah's Witnesses to a "T" and that is no exaggeration. If the reader is unfamilar with Orwell's book, I recommend you check out "1984" from your public library. Doing so will enable you to better understand and appreciate this book.

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses gets five stars and two thumbs up.

A five-star companion volume is JEHOVAH UNMASKED which is a fascinating look at the real identity of the god Jehovah. Is Jehovah the Almighty God or just a pretender? Is God a despotic murdering lunatic as the Old Testament depicts, or is that just a pretender god? Did the first Christians believe in God the Mother? What and where is the Kingdom of God? Who told the First Lie in the Garden of Eden, Jehovah or the Serpent? Are you SURE? Who or what was it that gave us the list of New Testament books as we have them now? The answers to these questions will shock, fascinate, inform, and entertain you.

Read I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS and JEHOVAH UNMASKED for two of the wildest rides ever!

EXCELLENT READ.......2006-08-28

This was the first "apostate" book I ever read and I was pioneering at the time. I was stunned when I read it and quickly realized why the Organization was so afraid of and of the Rank and File reading any literature written by ex-Witnesses.

The comparison of the Witness World and George Orwell's 1984 is eerily similiar. The "double think" process, the encouragment of turning in family and close friends who go agains what Big Brother is saying, is all too familiar to anyone raised in this religion.

As this book was written 20 years ago, it's interesting to see that, like Crisis of Conscience, they've made a pretty accurate prediction of which road the Governing Body had to take in order to cover up their false prophecies and keep the rank and file in line.

THIS IS A VERY ENGROSSING AND ENLIGHTENING READ.......2006-03-08

I'm saddened that this book is not part of the Search This Book program. The authors ought to sign it up and get it in so that readers can browze this book online. If they did so it would renew interest in this marvelously insightful and illuminating volume. Also, the book should be updated because the authors accurately predicted exactly what would occur in the Orwellian World of JW's from 1984 onward.

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses describes to an uncanny "T" my exact experiences with the Watchtower Slaves in my teens.

I was saddenned to see only two reviews of this book. I suspect this book did not do nearly was well as it should have. My educated guess is that most Americans are unfamiliar with the term "Orwellian" because they have never heard of or read George Orwell's chillingly prophetic novel "1984." "Orwellian" means a group of people who are tightly controlled from the top down by a powerful group that has life-or-death authority. Every aspect of life is controlled by this group, and spies are everywhere observing and reporting, and lethal action is taken upon dissidents.

That describes the organization and life of Jehovah's Witnesses to a "T" and that is no exaggeration. If the reader is unfamilar with Orwell's book, I recommend you check out "1984" from your public library. Doing so will enable you to better understand and appreciate this book.

The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses gets five stars and two thumbs up.

A five-star companion volume is JEHOVAH UNMASKED which is a fascinating look at the real identity of the god Jehovah. Is Jehovah the Almighty God or just a pretender? Is God a despotic murdering lunatic as the Old Testament depicts, or is that just a pretender god? Did the first Christians believe in God the Mother? What and where is the Kingdom of God? Who told the First Lie in the Garden of Eden, Jehovah or the Serpent? Are you SURE? Who or what was it that gave us the list of New Testament books as we have them now? The answers to these questions will shock, fascinate, inform, and entertain you.

Read I WAS A TEENAGE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS and JEHOVAH UNMASKED for two of the wildest rides ever!

This Book Could Be Invaluable If It Works For You.......2006-02-26

Nothing is perfect and I'm not sure I'm in agreement with all the analogies drawn by the authors between 1984 and Jehovah's Witnesses, but that's certainly not a reason to give this book less than five stars. This could be a really important book for someone. At the very least it could be a helpful weapon against the, literally, mind numbing, insanity of Jehovah's Witnesses. Let me give just one quote from the book to illustrate what I mean.

"I had lived my life until the age of 25 or 26 believing that I was never going to die, or that if I did die in a car crash or something, God would resurrect me and I'd live forever in the New World. I can remember the exact moment when I realized I wan not going to live forever. The physical moment: I was working in my office at Bethel and I got up from my desk to go into the file cabinet; I was bending down to get a file, and - it came out of nowhere - I said, Hey, you're going to die one day. And in that one second the knot unraveled."

I suppose I'm aiming my thoughts at the probably hundreds of thousands of those like me who were confiscated and brain washed into the religion by being born into it, or conscripted at a very young and tender age. I was 35 years old before I could really breathe a little fresh air, and even now, nearing 60, it makes me shutter every once in awhile. I'm grateful to the authors for having the will, the courage, and the fortitude to write the book and then see it through the publishing process. I'm sure they realized that such a book could probably never be a best seller, or even a big seller, because though to injured parties like me the Watchtower Society looms large, it's a tiny blip to the billions who inhabit this planet at the beginning of the 21st century.

So, even though its not perfect, and is probably a little too intellectual for most folks, for anyone who is struggling to break free from the chains of JWs, it is a voice crying in the wilderness and a small lamp shining in a very dark place.

An Interesting Study.......2001-06-26

This is a good book and the illustrations in it are excellent. The book captures the totalitarian nature of the Watchtower movement as few books do because it is based on sound academic research and a background understanding of the movement. Both authors were raised Jehovah's Witnesses and are trained scholars. In fact, the book is based on a doctoral dissertaion by Heather Botting. My only complaint about it is that it places too much emphasis on the year 1984, which was not an important "end times" date for Jehovah's Witnesses.

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Nineteen eighty-four,: A novel
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

On "Nineteen Eighty-Four": Orwell and Our Future

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A true Masterpiece

On "Nineteen Eighty-Four": Orwell and Our Future

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691113610

Book Description

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is among the most widely read books in the world. For more than 50 years, it has been regarded as a morality tale for the possible future of modern society, a future involving nothing less than extinction of humanity itself. Does Nineteen Eighty-Four remain relevant in our new century? The editors of this book assembled a distinguished group of philosophers, literary specialists, political commentators, historians, and lawyers and asked them to take a wide-ranging and uninhibited look at that question. The editors deliberately avoided Orwell scholars in an effort to call forth a fresh and diverse range of responses to the major work of one of the most durable literary figures among twentieth-century English writers.

As Nineteen Eighty-Four protagonist Winston Smith has admirers on the right, in the center, and on the left, the contributors similarly represent a wide range of political, literary, and moral viewpoints. The Cold War that has so often been linked to Orwell's novel ended with more of a whimper than a bang, but most of the issues of concern to him remain alive in some form today: censorship, scientific surveillance, power worship, the autonomy of art, the meaning of democracy, relations between men and women, and many others. The contributors bring a variety of insightful and contemporary perspectives to bear on these questions.

Customer Reviews:

A true Masterpiece.......2005-08-22

Literature-Book Review

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, published by Penguin Books

WHAT a cleverly written, a very enticing book to read with a much unexpected twist in the end. George Orwell showcases his brilliant writing skills in this marvellous book. For those who have read Animal Farm, they should know what to expect in this brilliantly written book. This book explores the rule of totalitarianism, how the world has not come to terms with totalitarianism. This should keep you in suspense from the first chapter till the last chapter. This is not for the faint hearted, but for those who are political minded. This is a true breath taking fiction. The style is not fast paced as it entices you to read more.

George Orwell writes about a world where there is no happiness whatsoever. The book is set in 1984 in a country called Oceania. This country is ruled by Big Brother with his party known as The Party. A world where laughter is tears, where love is turned to hate. A world where there are no emotions, only misery in people's hearts. `Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death.' The novel tells of how you're supposed to be a supporter of Big Brother. If you have thoughts of your own, that are resistant to Big Brother's party you die.
The protagonist is Winston Smith. He has a quest of his own. His will is to go against The Party's teachings and rules. He believes that if he wants to remain sane, he should follow his own heart and mind.

In this heart moving novel George Orwell showcases his journalistic writing skills. Even if you not keen of politics but this one is surely a winner.

Average customer rating:

Free SF Reader
Deviates corrected for their own good
1984 Overview, (From William Cuddy, age 9)
Good but not great

Nineteen Eighty - Four
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140126716

Customer Reviews:

Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

In these days of Echelon, Satellite spying, and the ever-increasing proliferation of surveillance cameras, 1984 will definitely leave you with an uneasy feeling.

The story of one man's doomed rebellion against almost total totalitarianism, where even the text record of the day and the past can be altered to suit those in power.

Many concepts from this novel have entered the common lexicon.

Deviates corrected for their own good.......2007-05-06

In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggle, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. He starts out, due to his inability to doublethink, with thoughtcrime. This is in a society that believes a thought is as real as the deed. Eventually he graduates through a series of misdemeanors to illicit sex and even plans to overthrow the very government that took him in as an orphan.
If he gets caught, he will be sent to the "Ministry of Love" where they have a record of 100% cures for this sort of insanity. They will even forgive his past indiscretions.

Be sure to watch the three different movies made from this book:
1984 (1954) Peter Cushing is Winston Smith
1984 (1956) Edmond O'Brien is Winston Smith
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) John Hurt is Winston smith

1984 Overview, (From William Cuddy, age 9).......2006-11-27

1984 overview/review
In the beginning of 1984, Winston, you might think, is a normal Outer Party member, but when you get to the second chapter, it becomes clear that he is against Big Brother, the hero of the totalitarian state he lives in.
An obscure friend of his, Syme, lectures him on newspeak at cafeteria's, his "Girlfriend", Julia, appears before as another Outer Party member, slipping a note into Winston's pocket in the bathroom, reading, "I love you". Confirming the fact that Julia does not want to kill Winston, but the exact opposite. O'Brien, the friend of Winston, though also his torturer in the Ministry of love, (Miniluv) incorporates him into a secret society, "The Brotherhood." O'Brien gives Winston a quick glance, in turn beginning their friendship. Eventually Julia and Winston are found out by the Thought Police and both are brought to the Ministry of Love for torture, after which, Winston finds himself in a café. Winston is brainwashed into thinking certain ideas, ending with Winston himself succumbing to the thought police. A truly depressing and suspenseful book, a book that all should read.

Even though Oceania is a controlled government, it still has signs of falling apart. Oceania is in constant war, and indicates that it is destroying itself, for the sake of the war, perhaps for propaganda. Newspeak is the language of Oceania, and a propaganda language as well, the three slogans that the party has, "Ignorance is Strength," "War is Peace," and "Freedom is Slavery." Are quite untrue, but the Proles choose not to worry about it, while party members use "Doublethink" mostly.

Suggesting this is a good book is unworthy, this is an AWESOME book, so you should read it, get depressed.

Good but not great.......2004-07-23

I think Orwell spent 2 much time on developing his world and his own language (new-speak) and not enough time on the story and chartacters. This is quite a simple book and very stright-foreward. The characters seem unrealistic and not very likeable, but his world is amazing in it's intricate structure. He planned out Oceania down to the very last detail, If only he had spent the same amount of time on the story and charactersthen This would have been a definite calssic, but as is, I still cannot say I found it as amazing as the other reviewers. But this is a great introduction to literature, just don't take it in a classroom setting as it kills the enjoyment of reading it

Nineteen Eighty-four (Penguin Modern Classics)

Average customer rating:

Deviates corrected for their own good

Nineteen Eighty-four (Penguin Modern Classics)
George Orwell
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Lord of the Flies (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

ASIN: 014118776X

Customer Reviews:

Deviates corrected for their own good.......2005-12-30

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