Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Satire of ultimate consumerist society still packs punch.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 26 kid reviews
Kids say that this book elicits mixed feelings, with some finding its dark themes of drugs and promiscuity overwhelming or inappropriate for younger readers, while others appreciate its cautionary dystopian message and engaging narrative. Many recognize the book's relevance and depth, making it a thought-provoking yet challenging read suitable primarily for mature audiences.
- dark themes
- dystopian message
- mixed reviews
- appropriate for mature
- thought-provoking narrative
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In the far future, humanity has become almost completely dissociated from the process of reproduction. Fetuses are developed in bottles, cloned and treated with chemicals to produce infants that will fit within rigidly structured caste systems. Marriage and motherhood are unheard of. Citizens do their jobs and then relax by indulging in promiscuous sex, elaborate games, and doses of tranquilizing, hallucinatory \"soma.\" When John, a \"savage\" from an Indian reservation in what was once New Mexico, is brought to Central London, he must reconcile his beliefs with those of a bewildering, responsibility-free society.
Is It Any Good?
Along with George Orwell's 1984, this chilling novel is one of the most famous dystopian science-fiction novels in the English language. Aldous Huxley envisions a future where a person's destiny is determined through in vitro fertilization and prenatal treatments, leading to adulthoods ruled by consumerism and aimless sex. Although originally a critique of social trends in the 1930s, the novel is still funny, disturbing, and relevant for today's readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how well author Aldous Huxley predicted the future when he wrote Brave New World in 1932. Was he only imagining the future, or was he also commenting upon trends at the time of the novel's publication?
Why do you think Henry Ford is viewed as a kind of prophet by the citizens of the World State? What satirical point was Huxley trying to make with this choice?
Why do you think Huxley has John quote Shakespeare so often in the novel? And why do you think Huxley chose to quote Shakespeare's play The Tempest in the book's title?
Why do you think Brave New World continues to be read and taught in high school and college literature courses?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publication date : February 1, 1932
- Number of pages : 288
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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