Deeper questions and themes in Brave New World
920849
Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley takes place in England as a futuristic utopian society. Ford, who is the ultimate leader and unlimited power, rules the world. In this new world there artificially made people, who are born into a caste system. There are five classes in the caste system, there are the alphas which are the intelligent, and then there are the Epsilons that are the workers of society. Everybody in society is content with their life because they are trained to be obedient members of society. Huxley brings out very deep and interesting questions to the reader through his novel. In the novel his characters help the reader formulate but never actually answer these questions. The basic plot of the novel is not too difficult to follow, however the deep questions and ideas that Huxley brings out in the novel are hard to spot by a young reader. This novel is for someone who can spot the deeper understanding of the novel rather than the actual storyline. Some of the themes and ideas that Huxley shows the reader are genetic engineering, happiness through the use of drugs or sex, the control of science, the stability of society, and many more.
 In Brave New World, the reader meets quite a few characters one of which is Lenina who is an obedient member of society. Lenina does everything that a person in society should do to make society stable. In Brave New World stability is everything because without stability there is change, risk, conflict, and problems. Lenina and Bernard go to a savage reservation in the United States only to uncover a surprising story of the past. Bernard is an Alpha like Lenina, but he is deformed. He does not like sports, sex, being alone, and he is unhappy all these are unusual traits from the rest of society.
 Brave New World introduces many things of the future that are different than things now days. One of which is somma. Somma is a drug that people take when they are feeling sad or unhappy and they take somma to become happy. Somma is used to make a person become happy and part of society. Another thing that is different in Brave New World is that children are grown genetically to fit society's needs. A person is grown to serve society. Children are taught in their sleep about being a good member of society. These are just a few of the ideas brought by Huxley in his novel.
 This novel is for a person who can understand the deeper meanings behind the book that Huxley is trying to show us. It is hard for younger people to understand these meanings, but a collage person or adult would. This novel brings up many perplexing questions through the characters of the novel. It is interesting to try and see what you think the answers are. I would recommend this book for an adult or collage person because they can understand the questions that Huxley brings out in his novel.
3072826
A Journey from Darkness to Light by the young Egyptian author Mahmoud Mansi is primarily a journey in the psyche of a human being. As it is clear from its title, the novel explores the journey of its protagonist from the darkness of ignorance to the lightness of knowledge. The concept of the journey is as old as the classics; like the one that Odysseus undergoes in The Odyssey.  Odysseus goes through a very long journey in which he faces many literal and figurative challenges until he reaches the end of his journey a victorious person who had learned many lessons. However, Mansi's protagonist goes only through figurative mishaps. The protagonist, like very few selected people in our Egyptian society, has internal struggle throughout the novel. He always thinks and contemplates over people and the universe around him. The novel explores the thoughts of a different human being, in the sense that he is not carried away from the divine by the technologies of the modern age. The book might also be a journey searching for the self through the Divine.

Fulfilling his human being nature, the protagonist's journey does not stop at the figurative level; it encompasses a search for the female companion of life. What adds to the novel is that it satisfies the mind and the heart. The romantic side of the story adds a light effect on the reader and offers a rest to what he/she is thinking about while reading the novel. The reader joins the protagonist with this journey by identifying with him, since the protagonist represents Everyman specially that he embraces all humanity at large and expresses his emotions vividly that the reader feels that he/she is reading his/her own diary. The novel is divided into seven chapters, each telling about a certain phase of uncertainty until the very last chapter that answers all the questions that the reader might have while reading the novel or throughout his/her life.

What is peculiar about this book is that its aim is humanity at large. No matter how variant the readers might be, the book tries to deliver a message to everyone regardless of his/her ethnicity or believes.  A Journey from Darkness to Light could be interpreted in many ways depending on the reader. It is a rich novel with many mysteries yet to be deciphered."
1583714
What an ominous, yet prophetic, beginning to this masterpiece of the dystopian genre.  Huxley, ostensibly before his massive procurement of hallucinogenic mind-altering drugs, delivered one of the most profoundly provocative, albeit disturbing, works of the 20th Century.  Although the beginning is somewhat prolix and a bit detail-oriented, Brave New World shines brilliantly the rest of the way through this ingeniously written magnum opus.
I must admit that Huxley's class distinctions are readily apparent even in today's society - even without genetic cloning.  Every time I encounter some icompetent ingrate, I can't help but consider him an Epsilon semi-moron - how apropos.  Although many of the foreboding elements Huxley delineates throughout Brave New World are somewhat outrageous, I must admit that the ubiquity of the Feelies, soma, sexual promiscuity, declining societal moral values, as well as the pervasive obsession with maintaining one's youthful appearance, emanate, as much, if not more, abundantly, in today's society, as they do in his timeless classic.
Perhaps Huxley became somewhat deranged and deluded later in his career, nonetheless, he still had his wits when he penned what is undeniably one of my top 10 books of all-time. Brave New World proves to be a most uniquely novel idea of a novel(pardon the pun).  It comes highly recommended as it is pure unadulterated brain candy.
3082490
A great political dystopia written in 1924, We lays the foundation for Brave New World and 1984 and remains shocking and relevant. The story follows a mathematician named D-503 who lives in a bleak totalitarian  society. When a comely resistance leader named I-330 seduces D-503, he  accidentally discovers his soul, his unique individual identity, and is  nearly driven insane by the revelation. The story contains several  wonderful philosophical debates about the nature of freedom, art, and  government. Written in a highly poetic, sometimes challenging prose style.  Not surprisingly, this novel never got published in the USSR and Zamyatin  was eventually exiled because of it. That which gives us comfort induces  stasis; only things that make us uncomfortable challenge us to change and  grow.
1016461
A dystopian novel like 1984 or Brave New World.  Interesting that most characters found ways to circumvent the "new order" by bending the rules or creating underground groups.  Offred adapted her memories to ease the pain of losing her husband and daughter.  We never find out her final fate, so our own imagination must supply it.  The technique introduced at the end of discussing the tale in a future symposium let's us know that Offred's story survived even if she didn't.
2722023
Brave New World is a downright chilling book. It is far more terrifying than any other book I have read. The horror in this book come from the fact that Huxley presents his vision of the future in such a way that one cannot decide weither it is good or evil. Adding to the horror is his description of the Savage reservation and of the society of Alphas experiment. These two things are meant to represent our current society. He presents the unsavory choice between our world with its violence, disease, and sorrows and the future world of castes and conditioning.  People have commented here and in other places that the residents of Huxley's Brave New World are not free. This is not entirely true. The future people of Brave New World are completely free in their world because they do not know that it could be different! This is what makes Brave New World so difficult for me to categorize. Are the Epsilons oppressed? No, because they cannot know anything different than the way they were made. Yes, because they did not have a choice in becoming an Epsilon. Is it wrong to sacrifice freedom for stability and peace? No, because then there is no war or hatred. Yes, because there is no independant thought. Is it wrong to desire the future that Huxley presents? No, because there is no war, disease, hatred, violence, instability, or sadness. Yes, because there is free sex, drugs, no freedom of thought, no parents, no old, no past, no history, no God, no change, no love? All these questions are raised when one reads Brave New World. None of them have clear answers. I see trends toward Huxley's future in our current society. Commentary on Huxley has generally concluded that it would not be a good thing for our world to become like Huxley's. Why? Would it truly be so terrible? The people of Brave New World know nothing else. What exactly is it that is so terrible about Huxley's future? Is it Brave New World an evil world? I cannot decide this. That is why Brave New World is so terrifing to me. This is absolutely a m! ust read book.
4380678
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a brilliant book both as a work of fiction and satire. Huxley covers topics of the arts, science, religion, faith, philosophy, and morality in this novel. This is not your average science fiction novel by any stretch of the imagination.
It is definitely worth a second read.
  Huxley's work is perhaps one of the original dystopian novels (which are becoming increasingly more popular today). In Brave New World, the future holds no pain, aging, or discomfort. Everything is preprogrammed. Totalitarianism exists however in a format in which citizens are conditioned to love whatever their specific function (however menial or unpleasant) in society is. Only the savages live according to the old ways - with religion, aging, marriage and traditions. This is far apart from the average citizen on reservations.
  The plot takes off, when Bernard a man dissatisfied with life meets a young man born on a reservation whose mother used to be a part of the new society. The mother and "savage" return to civilization. Upon the return, the young man finds himself caught between worlds. He was never accepted in the reservation and h cannot understand the new ways that are considered civilized.
  I would highly recommend this to anyone. It is an outstanding look at civilization, the nature of man, and morality. If you have read this and enjoyed it I would recommend 1984 by George Orwell, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I will also recommend the television series Futurama by Matt Groening (creator of the Simpsons). Groening took many ideas from Brave New World and 1984 to produce a darkly funny sitcom.
3774856
In a world secretly inhabited by another species of human intellect, the struggle lies between staying hidden and becoming civilized.

Humans are nave of what we don't know and fearful for what we begin to find out.

To stay hidden in an always developing world becomes extremely difficult, especially when ones existence depends on the life essence of humans.

Some show understanding, while others try to make sense of it through merciless killing.

The Empty invites readers into a world inhabited by two intellectual species that in compass some who seek to live and remain hidden and others who seek the truth of another species forbidden existence.

Thom Reese takes readers on an adventure that explores our world, but with the twist of another species of comparable intellect inhabiting it as well.

Thom Reese always includes so much detail in his works, readers instantly become transported to the world of The Empty.

I enjoyed the conflict between the species and the conflict within one's own species.

Through a sociologist's perspective, I enjoyed the idea of what it means to be civilized and what it means to become civilized.

In addition to the reality of giving up ones own cultural identity, in order to blend amongst another's.

The empty takes real dilemmas that our world faces today and transforms it into a page turner sci-fi novel.
4030703
This huge novel does tend to drift at times, especially when Neal Stephenson starts creating and exploring the new technologies of his future society. But aside from that relatively minor quibble, this is a powerfully creative and fully realized look at the intersection of high tech and humanity in the near future.  In short, a rich aristocrat has commissioned a nanotech engineer to invent an interactive book that melds with the inner thoughts of the reader, with the goal of helping his granddaughter think independently in a tightly constricted future society. A copy of the book is stolen and falls into the hands of a forlorn and abused little girl named Nell, who utilizes the interactive technology to escape her dire environment, realize her full potential, and eventually to inspire a revolution made up of thousands of abandoned Chinese girls who have utilized more copies of the book to build meaningful lives in a society that has abandoned them. Stephenson's greatest achievement here is his ruminations on how super-advanced nanotechnology and worldwide networks will only further restrict and enslave humanity, unless revolutionary thinkers can put humanity back on the winning side. Meanwhile, this book has some surprisingly provocative explorations of the potential social evils of the coming age, especially in regards to our potential future society's treatment of young girls. Sometimes it's difficult to keep track of all the plot elements and characters in this epic book, but it's definitely a fun and thought-provoking read. [~doomsdayer520~]
2949252
Though a lifelong bibliophile, this is only my second book review ever. So why this book, you may ask? I wanted to add my 2 cents since this one left me with such ambivalence that I needed to share with other would-be readers.

As a longtime fan of SF and fantasy, I though I had seen it all. Different varieties of world-building, ideas, technology, etc. This book was one of the truly unique offerings in this, or any, genre I've seen in a long time and is stunning in its singularity. It defies genre labels and is that rare book which, after years of ingesting countless novel ideas and ways of thinking across hundreds of books, shocks one with its ability to engender ideas and considerations yet unexplored.

Having said that, it was difficult to slog through. Difficult not in the way that James Joyce is difficult, but in the way that William Gibson's Neuromancer was. Delving the reader immediately into thick jargon and a densely built world without any early info dumps that many other authors resort to when world-building. Here, the strange self-critical style of the writing coupled with the unrelenting sudden immersion were such a deterrent I had to really buckle down and grit my teeth to get through the first 100-150 pages. While it's often difficult to commit to a book of such ambition early on, that it took that many pages for a bibliophile to fully commit to continuing is not a good thing. The only thing that kept me going at many points was the annoyance in thinking that I might put this book down without having even truly understood its world.

Having said that, I feel the second half of this book makes up for much of the initial confusion with its considerably amped up pace, numerous (though long-awaited) revelations and interesting philosophical considerations. The mysteries surrounding numerous complex and interesting characters were enough to keep one anxiously flipping the page at this point. It did add a lot more questions than it answered, which makes me wonder how this series can possibly be completed in the "second half" which is seemingly just one more book, but I am curious enough that I will eagerly pick up that volume when it comes out.

TL;DR summary: incredible ideas, cool world-building, mystery and intrigue galore, difficult to slog through until the second half, which is rewarding but only leaves more unanswered questions (presumably for the next volume).
1743481
George Ribeiro's novel explores several themes - belonging, home and the heroic dilemma of "what is the right thing to do?" He takes a seemingly hateful person (Roger Sherman, lover of evictions) and slowly changes your perception with a quasi sci-fi set of beings. Ribeiro does a good job of explaining how it takes something not of this world to make you see your place in this one. This novel is a good read. I look forward to his future work.
3018983
In this Cliff's Notes booklet, the reviewer, Warren Paul of Columbia University, provides the following (in order): a brief biography of Aldous Huxley, a 6-page history of utopian/dystopian novels, 1-and-a-half pages  containing the general plot, one or two lines describing each of the  characters, a detailed description of each chapter (each with a few  paragraphs of commentary), a critical analysis of the novel as a whole and  of the characters, definitions of the terms (e.g., Malthusian Belt, Musical  Bridge) used in Brave New World, a chapter-by-chapter summary of Brave New  World Revisited, review questions for the student, and a "Selected  Biblography."  All in all, this Cliff Notes succeeds in providing the  details the student of Aldous Huxley needs to do a book report on either of  the two books for which it provides commentary.  It also serves to  stimulate interest in utopian and dystopian novels.  The review would have  been better if there had been more assessment of how Brave New World  Revisited was received by the public compared with the reception of its  predecessor, and of the very different treatment of the new world in the  two texts (a novel in the first case, and an extended essay in the second).  I also would have appreciated a list of all of Aldous Huxley's novels and  other literary works in chronological order to help me put Brave New World  and Brave New World Revisited in their proper perspective with regard to  the author's literary career.  Lastly, the Selected Bibliography consisted  of only four texts, many of which were old when this Cliff Notes booklet  was written.  I would have expected at least 20.
595610
Aldous Huxley's `Brave New World' takes place in Europe, in 625 after Ford (people started a new era in 1908, the year in which the American industrialist Henry Ford produced his first Model-T car). There is a New World society. People are no longer born the natural way, but the state creates and conditions them. Humans are being mass produced and preconditioned to become members of one of the social classes, ranging from Alpha plus to Epsilon minus. People are going to work and get their soma. They get their education at their level and they get sleep teaching. It's a totally arranged life.
Aldous Huxley was born at Godalming in 1894, into a prominent family of scientists. The nearly blind man was educated at Eton and Oxford and writer of many novels, short stories, essays, drama and verse, but `Brave New World' has proved to be his most lastingly popular work. The title was taken from Shakespeare's `The Tempest', in which Miranda, when seeing the first glimpse of the world outside the island on which she grew up, speaks the words: "O brave new world that has such people in it."
In this novel-of-ideas and dystopia, or in other words, a savage criticism of the scientific future, the motto is Community, Identity and Stability. There is no love, no individualism and people do not have emotions. Everybody belongs to one big group. No one is alone, because everybody is the same. The motto is, off course, an ironic contrast with the battlecry of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. It's obvious that Huxley wants to point out the dangerous aspects of the advancement of science. People will abuse the results of investigations, which will make the individual disappear.
The link of the motto with the battlecry of the French Revolution is not the only one. Many of the character's names are composed by use of the names of historical heroes. For example Benito Hoover, is made of Benito Mussolini and Herbert Hoover. This way the writer is parodying all the time.
The story starts at the London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, where the Director explains some students how humans are being made by the Bokanovski-process. Eggs divide again and again (sometimes even 96 humans are beings hatch from one egg). When the Director asks a student whether he knows what a parent is, he answers: `"Human beings used to be." he hesitated; the blood rushed to his cheeks. "Well, they used to be viviparous."'
Bernard Marx is different from others. Something went wrong when he was in his bottle. He turned out to be, although he is, too small for an Alpha. He doesn't look like and has more emotions than other Alphas, which makes him not belonging to the big group. He and his colleague Lenina, a very pretty girl, who is very popular among the Alphas, go to New Mexico, to the Savages. Here the people haven't been scientifically produced. They meet John and his mother and take them to their world, which John really likes. He would love to see the New World. John hasn't been manipulated, so he's still able to have strong feelings....
A real pessimist can only think of a world like this. Therefore I think it's amazing how Huxley made up this story. It's been a great pleasure reading it, and it makes you start thinking about what the world will be in the future. Next to that, there's another, an educational aspect in the book. People have to be aware of abusers of knowledge. Huxley sure makes clear what he wants to say. It's a perfect novel.
2842950
What changes will the year 2022 bring? A mere five years in the future, but still, one can look forward to at least a modicum of progress, right? An inching toward that ever-present goal of harmony and justice? Unfortunately not so in the fictional world David Samuel Levinson presents us with in his new, acerbic satire Tell Me How This Ends Well. In it, we explore the dangerously anti-Semitic Los Angeles through the eyes of a dysfunctional Jewish family.
  The novel is divided into three major sections, each focusing on the daily thoughts and actions of one of the adult Jacobson children. Through these in-depth third-person-limited perspectives, we get a vivid picture of the family dynamic, focusing on the verbal and psychological abuse suffered by them all courtesy of the family patriarch, their father Julian. A narcissistic, controlling, close-minded individual, Julian appears to have incited much resentment within his children, who have come to suspect that he is mistreating their ailing mother. Amidst the chaos of suicide bombers- a not uncommon occurrence in the current climate- and hateful slurs from strangers, the siblings reconvene in Los Angeles with a tentative plan to murder their father.
  I cannot lie. This was a tough work to get through. Not because of the biting satire, which I actually quite appreciated, but because of my ambivalence toward the majority of the characters. Most are deeply flawed and not so much in an anti-hero/anti-heroine way, as much as in an unrelatable way. Yet, this struggle to identify with and even like the trio adds to the tension of the plot and reveals just how terrifying this new world can be.
  I particularly liked the section that focused on Edith, the lone Jacobson daughter. It was interesting to read how she is described and thought of by her brothers versus the reality of her thoughts and actions. I also greatly appreciated the metaliterary elements of the book and the understated yet highly chilling close. Levinson provides quality social commentary and advocates for various marginalized populations within the book, providing us with a haunting warning of what could become our not-too-distant future.

*- I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
2652028
Not only a story within a story, but thought provoking
4743599
Huxley's Brave New World has often been described as a chilling prediction of a sterile future world where people are genetically engineered into 'castes' and are unable to advance or better themselves.
But is this such a bad world?  Someone has to clean toilets.  Someone has to sweep streets and collect garbage.  Would it not be better to have these jobs done by people who are happy with their lives.  In Brave New World everyone below the top caste is inbred with an awe for the Alpha group who are the leaders, movers and shakers of the world.  There is no fear of rebellion.  People live lives of peace, harmony and tranquility.
So what is wrong with this picture?  Why do we so fear the very things we seek?  What is it in human nature that we want the savage to take root amongst us and tear down our sacred cows?  Indeed the savage is the only 'personality' in this book.
Brave New Word is relevant because it questions our view of the society we want.  In reality we do not want to live a life of social outings and days on the golf course.  Man needs adversity in order to thrive.  What is it in the nature of man that craves hardship, dirt, pain and risk?  What does it say about us as a race?
If you haven't read this book, you should.  It is one of those must reads which can change the way you think about life.  In style it is short, sterile and spare, a reflection perhaps, of life in the Brave New World.  There is no adventure here, no great story that will thrill you.  But this is a book you will not forget.
2340497
This exciting and unusual philosophical thriller, a Brave New World with echoes of Philip K Dick and Ursula LeGuin, is a steely, skeptical investigation of happiness, hedonism, pleasure and control. The Tax Man is a monstrous villain, a malevolent creation - and many of the characters are sketched with pathos and complexity. I really enjoyed reading my free review copy of this novel, whose viewpoint shifts around the various wide-ranging characters' perspectives over the same events, past and present, reflecting on the extremes and balances that give rise to actual joy, and the subtle dangers of mandated quotas of happiness and state-prescribed self-actualization.
Highly recommended.