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1984: 75th Anniversary
Written 75 years ago, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever...
This 75th Anniversary Edition includes:
• A New Introduction by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand, winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction
• A New Afterword by Sandra Newman, author of Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell’s 1984
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...
A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.
• Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read •
This 75th Anniversary Edition includes:
• A New Introduction by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand, winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction
• A New Afterword by Sandra Newman, author of Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell’s 1984
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...
A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.
• Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read •
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Community Reviews
A very poignant story that reflects many current events 75 years after it's release. It's been burning in my mind to read this since high school, but now that I'm much older, I've gained better understanding of the characters because they reflect some of our experiences right now in America.
This book wasn't riveting in that it was a page-turner or anything, though it was interesting enough. There's a bit in the middle that's especially slow, though I think Orwell timed the moment of capture very well. Right in the middle of all this slowness, just when you start to think the book is getting boring, everything changes. This is a book you read for the idea of it rather than the actual feeling of reading it.
That being said, I say this book deserves the hype it gets. To have it be so relevant today when it was written so long ago is impressive. Many of the 'dystopian' parts are quite relatable. The telescreens, for example, remind me of the targeted ads you get from your phone collecting your data, or how the FBI used a single t-shirt to track down a protestor from a video online. Being unable to speak against the government and to have all content censored is basically a description of China right now. And the authority figure of Big Brother being somehow an immortal superhuman reminds me strongly of North Korea. This book is a message about power and what people will do to keep their power.
I'd recommend it... if I didn't think that basically everyone has at least heard of this book, and many have read it as well.
PS This book strangely reminded me of Jesus Camp actually...
That being said, I say this book deserves the hype it gets. To have it be so relevant today when it was written so long ago is impressive. Many of the 'dystopian' parts are quite relatable. The telescreens, for example, remind me of the targeted ads you get from your phone collecting your data, or how the FBI used a single t-shirt to track down a protestor from a video online. Being unable to speak against the government and to have all content censored is basically a description of China right now. And the authority figure of Big Brother being somehow an immortal superhuman reminds me strongly of North Korea. This book is a message about power and what people will do to keep their power.
I'd recommend it... if I didn't think that basically everyone has at least heard of this book, and many have read it as well.
PS This book strangely reminded me of Jesus Camp actually...
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