Emily May's Reviews > Nineteen Eighty-Four: George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
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it was amazing
bookshelves: dystopia-utopia, sci-fi, classics, clothbound-own

This was the book that started my love affair with the dystopian genre. And maybe indirectly influenced my decision to do a politics degree. I was only 12 years old when I first read it but I suddenly saw how politics could be taken and manipulated to tell one hell of a scary and convincing story. I'm a lot more well-read now but, back then, this was a game-changer. I started to think about things differently. I started to think about 2 + 2 = 5 and I wanted to read more books that explored the idea of control.
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Reading Progress

Started Reading
May 6, 2003 – Finished Reading
December 5, 2010 – Shelved

Comments Showing 1-26 of 26 (26 new)

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message 1: by Joe (new) - rated it 4 stars

Joe Great review because I love game-changers!


Emily May Thanks, Joe :)


message 3: by Alyssa (new) - added it

Alyssa Hi Emily! I'm glad you have a review on this book. I would have this as a gift soon from a friend. And I'm glad that I am now certain about how I feel towards the book. I'm so excited I hope I'll like it as much as you did. :)


Emily May Jessica wrote: "does this book have a story? along with characters? kind of interested in reading it, but unsure of some details.. thanks(:"

Yes, of course :) It's really good, you should read it!


Orville Kennedy You? Doing politics? Man Britain future is fucked!


Emily May I think you meant to say: Man, Britain's future is fucked!

And it pretty much is with or without me ^_^


Thurston If you haven't read it since you were 12, reading it now will likely have much more of an impact. Obliterating and rewriting history...it pretty much pulls the covers off government and media, i mean ministry of truth.....i just finished it an am exhausted


Emily May Thurston wrote: "If you haven't read it since you were 12, reading it now will likely have much more of an impact. Obliterating and rewriting history...it pretty much pulls the covers off government and media, i me..."

No, that was just the first time! I have read it many times since and written college essays on it. Such a good book :)


Thurston do you have posts to your essays? perhaps a future video can be devoted to the book, or dystopian genre : )


Thurston anyone regardless of political affiliation thinks free thought is not be censored in america, needs to watch the totalitarian expose by Jon Stossel that just aired tonight )
http://watchdog.org/242019/john-doe-f...

I wonder if the same freedoms are being eroded in england


Carlos Reboredo Bonilla Libertad es esclavitud


message 12: by [deleted user] (new)

Hi Emily ...I just finished reading 1984. One hell of a read. What other books would you recommend in a similar genre ?
Cheers


Emily May Shaurya wrote: "Hi Emily ...I just finished reading 1984. One hell of a read. What other books would you recommend in a similar genre ?
Cheers"


The Handmaid's Tale is another of my favourite dystopian reads. I would definitely recommend that one.


message 14: by [deleted user] (new)

Emily May wrote: "Shaurya wrote: "Hi Emily ...I just finished reading 1984. One hell of a read. What other books would you recommend in a similar genre ?
Cheers"

The Handmaid's Tale is another of my fa..."


Read the synopsis. Sounds pretty interesting. Thanks Emily


Sabrina Michel Excellent review. The situations described sound SO familiar !


message 16: by Jen (new) - rated it 4 stars

Jen I’m a year older than you were when you first read it and I have a list of choices for a book to read for school, including 1984 and Animal Farm. I was choosing between the two and I think I might read this first then animal farm.


Susie Wow, reading it so young appears to have made quite a strong impression at such an influential age.

Reading it now, for me, perhaps I have more understanding of the concepts instead of back when I watched the film for the first time.

But, whichever age you read it at, the comparisons that could be seen in today's society, with Fox, Sky, "fake news", and how easily people can be made to believe so much of the crap that gets pumped out, is scary. How easy would it be for a totalitarian government to take over? Sometimes I wonder how far Western governments are from that. We may have criticised the East, Russia, China (certainly in the past), North Korea, amongst the most notable, but some days us here in the West are no better off and just as controlled.


message 18: by Noah (new) - rated it 4 stars

Noah I agree, this book definitely makes me want to read more about dystopian societies, and how we are easily controllable. The book uses fear tactics, and shows how emotions can be used to invoke certain responses. It's not farfetched to think this could happen in the real-world, and that's my favorite part of the book.


message 19: by Dew (new) - added it

Dew I have the book but did not read it, but your review makes me want to.


message 20: by [deleted user] (new)

This is my favorite classic out of them all. For many of the same reasons! Although I wish I had studied it as literally as you did


William Thank you for the review! Yes, I felt the same way when I first read this so many years ago.


message 22: by André (new) - added it

André van Maaren Great review, wanted too read this book for a long time. Going to after i read the outsider.


message 23: by Mike (new) - rated it 5 stars

Mike Lees Hi Emily, Great review. Indeed, Today? 2+2 indeed makes 5. From border crises, covid, the spectre of inflation and job losses all add up to a wonderful first 100 days of presidency cheered on by members of... what? The state. Yes, you guessed it.
Control starts in Kindergarten and ends with the death tax. We are so beyond what Orwell suggested and the most marvellous thing about it is that nobody realises it... yet. Take care.


bridie m I have to agree with Mike above we are far beyond this ‘tale’ and too true that most do not recognise this let alone care. Certainly has too much relevance to be fiction


Lord Bathcanoe of Snark When Orwell wrote this book in the late 1940s he warned humanity about the possible dystopian future that lay ahead.
What he failed to warn people about was the coming of Disco, the scourge of mankind.
Though it has been eradicated in most places, pockets of resistance remain.
We must stay vigilant.
Seriously though, this is a monumental novel, although my favourite Orwell book is Keep the Aspidistra Flying.


message 26: by Rajan (new) - added it

Rajan Which other similar books you suggest


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