This novel is considered one of the most influential dystopian works ever written. Set in the London of AD 2540, the book deals with concepts such as reproductive technology and sleep-learning (essentially a brainwashing technique). The society in Brave New World is highly functional, yet unquestioning and uncreative. Huxley wrote this in 1931, and responded to his critics thirty years later with Brave New World Revisited, in which he opines that our own society is rapidly moving toward the conditions in Brave New World.

This was my second time reading Huxley - the first being Doors of Perception. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I had already begun and quit this book a few times before finally committing to it this week. I have just finished it, and probably need a little more time to digest the ideas Huxley put forth. But my opinion of the book is that it shows a parallel history to what has happened so far in the past century. We may be moving toward some of the things that Huxley writes about, but I’m not sure we’re any closer to his general idea of a dystopian society. I’d suggest giving this a read - it will certainly force you to reassess your ideas about life today. And perhaps that’s just what we need right now, and have always needed.

4/5 Stars. 268 pages. Published 1932.