Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Brave New World
Book Review: A must-read...
Summary: 5 Stars
This book perfectly illustrates how civilization murders the human soul, and how far back progress can take us.Book Review: A prophetic look at where society is heading
Summary: 4 Stars
As I read the first 50 pages of Brave New World, I could not help but compare it to Orwell's 1984. However, Brave New World definitely carves its own niche (not to mention it was published well before 1984). While quite witty throughout, it also gives a chilling look at the price of instant gratification at the cost of high art.
It's interesting how Huxley's viewpoints change from the Director, to Lenina, before spending a good amount of time on Bernard Marx. The focal viewpoint seems to become centered on Bernard, only to switch to John in the last section of the book. I found it odd how Bernard's character was pushed to the side and shipped off to the island, while John becomes the central figure. It makes for a strange narrative structure, but it is one that ultimately works.
Book Review: A tour de force
Summary: 4 Stars
It looks like Aldous Huxley wrote this book as a reaction to some of the Utopian books that authors like HG Wells wrote glorifying scientific progress. Huxley wrote this vision of dystopia and was a few years ahead of the more famous George Orwell's 1984.
It is amazing to me that Aldous Huxley wrote this in 1931. Here is a list of things he manages to predict will come true in the brave new world of ours:
- Bell Bottoms! (this is true..he predicted bell bottom pants)
- LSD. He calls it Soma.
- Cloning
- Anti-depressant drugs
- Helicopter Taxis (well, we dont have these yet - although there is a helicopter taxi from Wall Street to JFK airport)
- Contraception
- Test Tube babies
- Sexual Revolution
- Unlimited consumption
- Planned obsolesence
- Instant gratification
- Atheistic societies (maybe this was already there in Leninist Russia - can't say)
- Social Engineering (think Great Society or the Great Leap Forward)
- Botox and cosmetic surgery
- Vaccination (this I dont know if it already existed then)
- Super bugs
- Brain washing
These are some things I just happen to remember off the top of my head. There are tons more like that.
I found that while the style of the book is fiction, the heart of the book is non-fiction. I was a bit scared that this book might end up like an Ayn Rand dissertation of objectivism. My chief complaint with Ayn Rand is that she created cardboard characters that mouth her philosophy. Aldous Huxley thankfully escapes that fate (but barely!)
His characters are still emotionally shallow and the interactions superficial. But there is just enough juice in the plot (although riddled with coincidences) that propels you through his vision.
True to form, several years later he wrote a sequel called 'Brave New World Revisited', where he dispenses with the fiction and just wrote it as a series of essays.
Some themes from the book:
I. We look for mitigating strategies for every problem we face. Pain
medication for pain. Anti-depressant medication for depression. Video games or TV for boredom. Botox for skin sag. And on and on and on.
This feels like we want to escape life rather than live it. I am obviously not saying don't take Tylenol. But I suppose I am saying that the sum total of all our consumption is tending towards an escape from living life.
II. Our best efforts to 'control' nature is futile for two reasons. One nature will overwhelm us. And two, we are not separate from nature - we ARE nature.
III. We are creatures of conditioning. We should set aside hours in a day and days in a month to carefully consider our in-built assumptions about the world, about our society and fellow living beings and ourselves to figure out whether we are operating on platitudes or operating on what we arrive at for ourselves as the truth. i.e. leading the examined life
IV. When cultures clash, it is of serious consequence. (It is happening today as we can see between religions and between societies). The clash is because of a radically different set of assumptions within each culture that views its own values as good and the other culture's values as not just different, but antithetical and inimcal.
Overall, this is one of the most satifisfying books I have been through in a long time. Protienaceous and not bubble-gum! Having said that the fiction layer was mediocre at best, and the non-fiction layer was a tour de force.
Book Review: About Huxley...
Summary: 5 Stars
I think there are other reviews that articulate quite well what this book is about, I just wanted to add a tidbit that relates to this book about the author.
After reading this book, which was excellent, I was surprised to find out that Huxley was indeed a supporter of eugenics and was an avid drug user.
A BNW seemed to have a very pessimistic outlook on all forms of genetic engineering, eugenics and also on drugs to achieve an "ignorance is bliss" state of mind.
Perhaps his intent was to show the dark side of what can arise, but I don't think, as apparently he didn't either, that GE or drug use is an inherently evil thing.
I plan on reading The Island and Doors of Perception by him next, perhaps this will expose some more understanding of his views on this topic.
Book Review: Adding my 5 stars
Summary: 5 Stars
Great quality book (better than I expected) for the price. Like the title said I'm just adding my 5 stars for a 5 star book. I don't want to give anything away but this book is awesome. If you like books like 1984 get this.
Don't ruin it by reading too many reviews! Just get it here at the great price and read a newer fun book that has become a classic.