George Orwell – 1984 book review

In a nutshell (237 pages), this book is a Jeremiad (complaint) in the form of Orwell’s prediction of the dystopian future that awaits society (this was written in 1949) if it were to continue flirting with political ideas that Orwell found to be concerning. The core issues of the ‘value of the individual vs the state/group’ and issues around privacy and personal freedom and choice have never gone away and likely never will. That’s why everyone calls it a Classic.

What I got out of it

It’s really sad to say but if you are at all a student of history, then you can see where he is going with his narrative. The writing is spectacular, and it truly is difficult to put the book down.

What was difficult

Equally difficult to putting the book down when reading the book is trying to go to sleep after reading the book. The images Orwell paints with his words are horrific, and the scenes grow increasingly sickening as the story goes along. Again, a student of history will know that the scenes he creates are not exactly his own creation. This does not make the book easier to read.

Recommendation

This is one Classic that you really don’t “need” to read. This is a great book to have read. Very difficult to read. If someone tells me it’s an amazing book, or “one of the best books ever”, I push back to clarify what that means. If they genuinely enjoyed reading such horrible scenes, that might not be very healthy. However, as a Jeremiad it is an important cultural work that possibly can add to the conversations of the day, though I don’t think we need any more extreme points of view in our lives.