Most people can remember the book that changed them from just an average reader to a book fanatic. It is the transformation in a person that allows them to view books as pieces of art; art used with words that allows your imagination and a story to come to life. The book for me that changed it all was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Before reading this enchanting science fiction novel, books were a torment for me. They were dull things given to me at school that I was forced to read, which later would result in a test, essay or a presentation of some sort. I am not sure how I managed to get through all the work without having a single novel make an impact on me; this is sad but true that literature did not touch my heart or capture my imagination. I was given Brave New World by my English teacher Mr. Smith in my senior year of high school; I knew I hadn’t read very much science fiction in school or outside it so I was happy for a change from all the boring classics we had to read. Ever since that first page, I was captured by the story in front of me.
If you have never read Brave New World, the story takes place in the future London and the social changes that come with time. The reproductive system changes from the natural form of reproducing to babies who are born in special scientific companies that are able to control the population of the world. It is a peaceful, happy state of society that all the troubles from the past no longer apply to them. It is the story of one man, Jon, who realizes that he does not want to be part of this “perfect” society but would rather have something where everyone is themselves and were not formed into what they should be by a government. Jon must face the struggles against him; to conform to the society he has known is whole life or be the man he should be. He meets other characters along the way that help to shape him into the person he is supposed to be. The book is strange, exciting and something that shed light on our current society and the possibility of what it could become.
There are strange parallels from this novel and the world that could become our future. Huxley wrote this in 1931 and it is so obscure to see his way of thinking and how his imagination was able to see what could be for the future of this world. There may be a time where the possibility of world peace to come to all nations but it will come as a sacrifice, maybe that sacrifice could be our individuality. From our history we have seen extremist groups that are unwilling to accept the individuality of the world and that being different allows our planet to be such a unique place. I hope that our world does not become like the one Huxley describes in his book, but we may be starting to show personalities and characteristics of it. If you have not read this book, or have never gotten into science fiction but are curious by it then I would recommend this book. It is a perfect classic science fiction dealing social change, struggle of the individual and the possibility of what our world may become.
Here is the Wikipedia link to the novel to have a more in-depth look at this brilliant novel:
A Comfy Chair in the Corner 