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Feb. 23rd, 2009
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Feb. 23rd, 2009 06:11 pmBook 21: Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell. 300pp
First of all, totally different from what I envisioned. I can't really explain what it was I had thought it would be about, but my preconceived notion had better potential than the reality.
It wasn't a bad book. It was very well-written and engaging, in its way. It stopped being so horribly depressing once the girl got involved, and descended into mind-numbing-ness in the last part.
Just the idea of literally being able to trust nobody is a very frightening thought. Added to that the concept of mind manipulation and revisionist history - most creepy.
Not something that I'll probably ever read again, but at the same time I am glad I did finally read it. As![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
paularidgeway is pointing out to me, a lot of what is in the book has actually happened. I don't have the knowledge of current politics to be able to see those things in it, and maybe that's part of why it lacked a little for me.
But the idea of it all is definitely creepy, and - I believe - not too far-fetched for belief. I don't think we're really that far away from a society like that here in our own country. It might take some time, but it could happen. The technology isn't beyond us. Things like phonetapping have already been done. It's not unbelievable that the government could have the ability to track everything we buy, where we go, what we say, with whom we associate.
That's what makes it scary - the potential for the scenario becoming reality.
First of all, totally different from what I envisioned. I can't really explain what it was I had thought it would be about, but my preconceived notion had better potential than the reality.
It wasn't a bad book. It was very well-written and engaging, in its way. It stopped being so horribly depressing once the girl got involved, and descended into mind-numbing-ness in the last part.
Just the idea of literally being able to trust nobody is a very frightening thought. Added to that the concept of mind manipulation and revisionist history - most creepy.
Not something that I'll probably ever read again, but at the same time I am glad I did finally read it. As
paularidgeway is pointing out to me, a lot of what is in the book has actually happened. I don't have the knowledge of current politics to be able to see those things in it, and maybe that's part of why it lacked a little for me.But the idea of it all is definitely creepy, and - I believe - not too far-fetched for belief. I don't think we're really that far away from a society like that here in our own country. It might take some time, but it could happen. The technology isn't beyond us. Things like phonetapping have already been done. It's not unbelievable that the government could have the ability to track everything we buy, where we go, what we say, with whom we associate.
That's what makes it scary - the potential for the scenario becoming reality.
