This is less of a general review and more of a reminder as to why everyone needs to read and remember this book!
First of all, hitting those review points:
For those who do not know the concept and story of Orwell’s masterpiece 1984, it tells the story of how step by step an oppressive regime strips the skeptical Winston Smith of his mind, identity and freedom. The story is both beautifully written and horrifyingly relatable despite being set over thirty years in the past. 1984 has been written in such a way that makes you truly root for Winston, hoping that he escapes the horrors and oppressions around him. Orwell knows how to grab an audience and take them for a ride! The world is vividly created, despite being set in an alternative version of our own world, and the constant threat of surveillance , the fear of being caught really comes to life with every well crafted sentence. 10/10 It's amazing. Go and read it now.
I decided to write this review today, instead of a different story that I had originally been planning to talk about after reading a number of articles today about the propaganda war currently happening over the Covid-19 situation. You can read one such article here . In short, we are seeing China's attempt to change the known facts of the situation. This could be due to any number of reasons; a power grab or removal of blame, among others. However, China is not the only country trying to write a narrative of events and we would be falling into the same trap as the citizens of Oceania by seeing China as the all oppressive force of evil. In the West we are inundated with comments about how Trump and Johnson are 'working hard' or 'doing a great job', often from their own mouths. Yet, because of the media attention to it and the constant repetition there is a very real danger that even this obvious lie might become accepted truth by many. We have already seen how these comments have lead to further and more serious outbreaks across the states, thanks to Trumps early downplaying of the situation (Link to Washington post). Even though he has now been forced to change his tune, it has cost thousands of people their wellbeing and their lives.
1984, among others, is such an important lesson in paying attention to what is said, what is not said and how often it is repeated. We are fortunate to not yet be living in a world where all information is controlled by our government, but at the same time we would be foolish to imagine that our information is free of bias and agenda. Even without the parallels between our world and that of 1984, it is still a terrific read and exploration of the human mind and values.
Shameless self promotion time! If you want to read 1984 you can do so through our sister company Idle Hour Library. Because of the pandemic we are also offering free membership to the library for the duration of the outbreak, though if you wish to support the library you can do so through our Patreon.