With its themes of rampant consumerism, genetic engineering, psychological conditioning of children and television (or rather, mass entertainment) as soporific, this novel is eerily prescient for the time in which it was written. But I wish Huxley had spent more time on those themes, which are more relevant to this new century, and less time on the themes of sexual liberation and the breakdown of the family. While also relevant, his focus on the free love of his dystopian/utopian society also seems unpleasantly pornographic, and not so interesting after a while. I also wish Huxley’s foil, the “savage” born outside the “civilized world” on a Native American reservation, had been better able to point out the flaws of the utopia and had been given more alternatives than the equally insane, religious-minded self abuse, hatred of women and eventual suicide that Huxley allowed.

I read this for a banned book reading project two years ago. My teacher recommended it to me and I’ve worshipped her for it ever since. A brillant, brillant work that everyone should read (along with 1984.) The characters and the crafting of the entire (and potentially realtistic) world sucked me in. The ending gave me chills. It is no wonder that this book is a dystopian classic!

chapters 16 and 17, definitely! amazing book. not as good as 84 but still one of the best books ive read.

A frightening portrait of the future that was not very pleasant to read, but stayed with me for a long time.

If ever I could pinpoint the most brilliant single chapter I’ve ever read, it would be the third chapter in this book.

I have always wanted to read this novel, and now that I have read it I am sorry that it took me so long to finally read it. Huxley contrasts the idea of civilized and uncivilized. What is civilization? while the question remains unanswered Huxley gives his opinions of the extremes and questions our modern idea of civilization. It was a joy to read, and question my own ideas of freedom and civilization along with Huxley. This is a novel that I plan on reading again, and I am sure that I will gain something new from it.

I am reading this now and I CANNOT get through it! It’s so boring!! ahhhh.

Back in the 80s, my wife read this book in high school…and my class read Orwell’s 1984 instead. I picked this up on a whim, and finished it in a few days riveted by its incredible symbolism and relevance to today’s world. In my opinion, Huxley “Brave New World” represents a more accurate prediction of the future given the fall of Russian communism.

On a side note, I was surprised how sexual this book is, describing orgies and the “having” of multiple partners. Hardly the subjects one would expect in a high school English class.

None the less, it seems like we are moving more towards a consumer cultured “world state” where we are conditioned into beliefs, values, and identity. With cloning and other technologies on the horizon, we are coming closer and closers to all of the predictions in the book emerging in reality.

Now visiting this Dystopia.

Contains one of my favorite quotes about God:
“You remind me of another of those old fellows called Bradley. He defined philosophy as the finding of bad reason for what one believes by instinct. As if one believed anything by instinct! One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them. Finding bad reasons for what one believes for other bad reasons—that’s philosophy. People believe in God because they’ve been conditioned to believe in God.”

In honor of banned book week, I’m reading this banned book.

Read this succker for school Should be fun tough.

This is a marvellous bit of writing…

1/1/2002
An all-time favorite. One of the most important books I’ve ever read.

Read in high school, a long long time ago.

Completed February, 2002

One cannot deny that we are marching inexorably forward to just this dispassionate fate. Read, remember, and take with you.

Magnificently prescient view of a happy, controlled utopia; socially-engineered citizens pouring money into entertainment that requires spurious equipment, and never daring to be alone…