1984

My English class was assigned this book back in the late fall while others in our school were mostly reading Brave New World. After hearing people compare the two books, I'm glad our teacher chose 1984. It didn't feel like I was forced to read but was more of a welcome suggestion. Kids in our class loved to find out where the terms "Big Brother" and "Thought Police" came from. I also liked the fact it was realistic because SPOILER: Winston doesn't succeed in getting rid of communism because it is unlikely that one man really can change the world. The book isn't violently in terms of how books can be now, but there is warfare taking place and Winston (and implicitly Julia) are tortured in Miniluv and the infamous Room 101, but these scenes are needed to demonstrate the evil of an all-powerful government. Yes, there are love scenes in this book, but they are in no way explicit (therefore I don't think four lips are really needed in the CSM review above, maybe three) and are needed like the violence scenes to prove how the government needs the people's total devotion to the government itself because love and passion for other people detracts from the population's concern for the government. There isn't that much language, like the few "hells" and "damns" the CSM review mentioned, and a censored F-bomb (because this was written in 1948 where there was no way stronger four-letter words would be allowed) uttered by a crazy person. The Victory Gin and Victory Cigarettes are there, but they are more representative of propaganda than anything. Have your teen read this book and they'll have their eyes opened and be convinced that they can't always trust the government, which in this day and age when many follow empty political rhetoric, we need for this generation.