for readers. Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that gr…"/><meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, width=device-width"/><script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Book","name":"1984","image":"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689683093i/56821625.jpg","bookFormat":"Paperback","numberOfPages":283,"inLanguage":"English","isbn":"9781847498571","awards":"Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (1984), Audie Award Audiobook of the Year and for Audio Drama (2025), Goodreads Choice Award Audiobook (2024)","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"George Orwell","url":"https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3706.George_Orwell"}],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":4.2,"ratingCount":5030965,"reviewCount":133303}}</script><meta property="og:title" content="1984"/><meta name="twitter:title" content="1984"/><meta property="og:type" content="books.book"/><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/><meta property="og:image" content="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689683093i/56821625.jpg"/><meta name="twitter:image" content="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689683093i/56821625.jpg"/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61439040-1984"/><meta property="og:site_name" content="Goodreads"/><meta property="og:description" content="Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen …"/><meta name="twitter:description" content="Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen …"/><title>1984 by George Orwell | Goodreads</title><meta name="next-head-count" content="6"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/css/pages/_app.e3724dee.chunk.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_next/static/css/pages/_app.e3724dee.chunk.css" data-n-g=""/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/css/pages/book/show/%5Bbook_id%5D.63f2c4fa.chunk.css" as="style"/><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_next/static/css/pages/book/show/%5Bbook_id%5D.63f2c4fa.chunk.css" data-n-p=""/><noscript data-n-css=""></noscript><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/main-b6718209c8ab0eab38c6.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/webpack-73192f5181878adf707c.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~6e8b5f81.d04172a9e3f546af9b8f.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~2a42e354.c4cbf179959c0f147ee5.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~2963a976.0f990dba6bc331e4ed11.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~15ae29a2.1c50640f072bd90b1a8d.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~e097a484.9f95ca745c800831da64.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~313ef737.511455f20bdb823911a7.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~1bc8dce3.6f717542855382900a1e.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~39b4f4c1.998c243a1ffaa24be013.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~17b40a69.fdec47f5963e319d44fc.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~5656635d.780b616eab5ce6ce131b.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~b1a98620.55095a637b28e3a025b4.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~6e4a1e0e.98e6387502ee612bc28b.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~7274e1de.9e3a1126b410a4d2435e.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~1f20a385.bec533a099d187cd2d58.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~70aabc29.92167abe3767d712ea10.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="/_next/static/chunks/node_vendors~f9ca8911.318e001f1a315c788d5f.js" as
</u>: <br>[1949] [339p] [Dystopia] [Highly Recommendable] ["If they could make me stop loving you-that would be the real betrayal.”] [“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”]<br>-----------------------------------------------<br><br>★★★★★ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/864454119" rel="nofollow noopener">Animal Farm </a><br>★★★★☆ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/863897034" rel="nofollow noopener">1984</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------<br><br><b> “La guerra es la paz. La libertad es la esclavitud. La ignorancia es la fuerza” </b> <br><br>En un devastado futuro post-apocalíptico, el mundo se ha dividido a sí mismo en tres superpoderes totalitarios: Oceanía, Eurasia y Asia Oriental. Los tres superestados siempre uno contra otro en una constante guerra sin fin, y purgando sin descanso y sin piedad su propia población para alinearlos con sus objetivos actuales. Winston trabaja en el ‘Ministerio de la Verdad’ todos los días revisando, reescribiendo y quemando registros de historia para que se adecuen a la siempre cambiante versión de la historia dictada por su todopoderoso líder, el Gran Hermano. Aunque secretamente, en lo profundo de su corazón Winston odia su cruel liderazgo, y desea su derrota. Un traidor en pensamiento, su vida estaría perdida si alguien llegara a enterarse, y hay espías por doquier…<br><br>Una inolvidable historia sobre la fuerza interna e inherente debilidad del espíritu humano, luchando en el más opresivo de los mundos. Un libro que nos enseña a amar y valorar la libertad, y sus costos; apreciar el pensamiento independiente, y nunca abandonar la lucha. AME el secreto desarrollo de la relación con Julia, su excentricidad <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="9eb4ba3f-ed6d-4903-81c6-0cf3a7dc1cfa" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="9eb4ba3f-ed6d-4903-81c6-0cf3a7dc1cfa"> e incluso su fatídico destino</label>; y no puedo ni expresar mi desconsuelo y tristeza por el fin último del fiel y siempre positivo Tom Parsons. ¡Dios! Esta sí que fue una historia oscura y sombría, pero por sobre todo, enormemente invaluable.<br><br>Una obra maestra de todos los tiempos y uno de los pilares fundacionales de la ficción distópica. Una lectura obligada de la vida, junto a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2867118142" rel="nofollow noopener">Fahrenheit 451</a> y <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1769689664" rel="nofollow noopener"> Un Mundo Feliz </a>. La santa trinidad de la distopía. ¡Altamente Recomendable!<br><br>Después de una década o más mi memoria es algo nubosa pero creo que la parte del ‘Libro de Goldstein’ fue bastante tediosa; por eso las cuatro estrellas. Todo lo demás fue simplemente perfecto, oscuramente perfecto. Recuerdo haber disfrutado inmensamente este libro en su día. ‘Rebelión en la granja’ también, otra gigante obra maestra. ¡Creo que necesito leer más de Orwell uno de estos días!<br><br>*** La película (1984) es una fantástica adaptación, capturando enormemente mucha de la esencia del libro. Algunas libertades se tomaron por supuesto, pero dentro de todo bastante fiel a la obra original. ¡Coincidentemente fue filmada en 1984! ¿Increíble no? ¡Brillante y perfecta sincronización! John Hurt estuvo espectacular, en una de sus más icónicas y recordadas actuaciones jamás. Que el buen hombre descanse en paz. Suzanna Hamilton estuvo magnífica también; y Gregor Fisher como Parsons totalmente acorde, ¡y por Dios cómo odié a O’Brien! Afortunadamente mucho del tedioso libro de Goldstein fue omitido. No un filme perfecto debo aclarar, pero sí una genial adaptación. Un absoluto deber de ver en la vida, incluso si no leíste el libro.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages
<i>A nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting - three hundred million people all with the same face.</i>
</a><br>I am a big fan of speculative fiction and in my literary travels I have encountered a myriad of dystopias, anti-utopias and places and societies that make one want to scream and.....<a href="http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s207/sullypython/Goodreads/?action=view&current=MontyPythonRunAway.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">
</a> <br>...<i>(with or without contemporaneous loss of bladder and other bodily functions)</i>....<br><br>Simply put, George Orwell's 1984 is unquestionably the most memorable and <b>MOST DISTURBING</b> vision of a world gone <s>mad</s> utterly bat-shit psycho that I have ever experienced. Ever!!! Despite being published back in 1948, I have yet to find a more chilling, nightmarish locale than Orwell's iconic world of <b>BIG BROTHER</b> and <b>INGSOC</b>. The very mention of either of those terms invokes images of Nazis and Soviet gulags in my mind. Yet Orwell's creation is in many ways even more insidious than these real-world bogeymen.<br><br>I first read this book when I was 12 years old in 7th grade as a...get this...class reading assignment. Looking back on it, I have NO IDEA why on Earth we were reading this book at that age but I do recall we spent quite a bit of time discussing it. I wish I could recall the substance of those discussions because I can only imagine the kind of PIERCING INSIGHT that a group of hormonally challenged pre-teens thought up in regards to this book. Needless to say, I think that this is a book that is best appreciated AFTER your first pimple. <br><br>Anyway, I decided to re-read this book recently as an adult in the hopes that I would be able to gain a great appreciation for this classic. Well, the book did more than that. <b>IT ABSOLUTELY FLOORED ME</b>. From the very first sentence, <i>"It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"</i> to the unforgettable final sentence (which I will not give away here), this story sucked me in, beat the living shit out of me and through me out the other side a hollow, wasted wreck. I know, it doesn't sound very cheery, but it is a life-changing experience. <br><br>I have always thought that one of the best and most important qualities of science fiction is that it frees the author to take the controversial, politically charged issues and trends of the day and create a possible future based on exaggerations of such trends and in so doing present a compelling and critical argument for change. Well NO ONE has ever done a better job than better Orwell in showing the possible nightmare (and thus potential danger) of a society without basic civil liberties and a government with complete and unchallenged control. <br><br>This book is bleak, dreary, frightening, upsetting and absolutely BRILLIANT and one of my "All Time Favorite" novels. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!! 6.0 stars. <br><br>...........<b>REMEMBER, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU</b>.............<br><br><a href="http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s207/sullypython/Goodreads/?action=view&current=ingsoc_450x100-1.gif" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">
<b>“The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.” </b>
</blockquote><br />Just about everything Orwell says in <i>1984</i> is a maniacal truism. In some twisted form, everything reflects the truth of reality. <br /><br />Of course there are exaggerations, though nothing is far from plausibility. We are controlled by our governments, and often in ways we are not consciously aware of. Advertisements, marketing campaigns and political events are all designed for us to elicit a certain response and think in a desired way.<br /><br /><i>1984</i> takes this to the extreme. Cultural brainwashing becomes the chief goal. Assimilation into a passionless (and completely ignorant) mind-set becomes the most effective means of keeping the population down. If you can make a man forget (or deny) his past then he knows of no situation better than his current state: it’s all he knows, so why would he act to change it? Subjugation becomes normality. <br /><br /><blockquote>
<b>“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”</b>
</blockquote><br />Big brother does this by harsh policing, excessive surveillance and language manipulation. The streets are claustrophobic and the people (the workers) can escape nothing. Every action, every word spoken, is recorded. The police are ready to grab anyone who steps remotely out of line. Controlling language is perhaps the most effective thought control method I’ve ever heard of. If language can be broken down into the absolute basics, the simplest and ordinary units, then people can only express themselves on a very minor level. They cannot think beyond their daily tasks because there are no words that connote dreams and fantasy. <br /><br />Step out of line and you are killed, though not before being dragged to room 101 for torture and even stronger methods of thought control. As such through the plot the book depicts a stark transformation, a transformation of man who was once willing to fight and to think but falls into one of the ingenious traps big brother sets for him to expose his criminality. Orwell’s words are frightening because of their eerie parallels with reality. He shows us that we are not so far from big brother as we may think. <br /><br /><b>
<blockquote>“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.”</blockquote>
</b><br />Unlike <i>Animal Farm</i> this also leaves much to the imagination. It’s a much more successful book and one that once it has been read, it certainly cannot be unread.<br /><br />___________________________________<br /><br />You can connect with me on social media via <a href="https://linktr.ee/sean.ultra_vegan1" rel="nofollow noopener">My Linktree</a>.<br />__________________________________</span></div><div class=""></div></div></section></section><section class="ReviewCard__tags"><ul class="CollapsableList"><span tabindex="-1"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/27788046?shelf=4-star-reads" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">4-star-reads</span></a><span tabindex="-1"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/27788046?shelf=sci-fi" class="Button Button--tag Button--medium"><span class="Button__labelItem">sci-fi</span></a></span><span tabindex="-1"></span></ul></section><footer class="SocialFooter"><div data-testid="stats" class="SocialFooter__statsContainer"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">464 likes</span></button></div><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium Button--subdued"><span class="Button__labelItem">21 comments</span></button></div></div><div data-testid="actions"><div class="SocialFooter__action"><div class="Button__container"><button type="button" class="Button Button--inline Button--medium" aria-label="Review unliked. Press to like review"><span class="Button__labelItem"><i class="Icon LikeIcon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M14.4813282,6.41129383 L14.586127,6.97676447 C14.5964421,7.03541935 14.6071117,7.09675198 14.6181364,7.1607667 L14.8551301,8.60363442 L17.440983,8.60363442 C18.1623576,8.60363442 18.8218187,9.01120377 19.1444272,9.65642083 L19.1708204,9.70920723 C19.4523479,10.2722622 19.4523479,10.9350066 19.1708204,11.4980616 L19.118034,11.6036344 L19.1708204,11.7092072 C19.4523479,12.2722622 19.4523479,12.9350066 19.1708204,13.4980616 L19.118034,13.6036344 L19.1708204,13.7092072 C19.4523479,14.2722622 19.4523479,14.9350066 19.1708204,15.4980616 L19,15.8397024 L19,16.1036344 C19,16.7361314 18.6701344,17.3185188 18.1373501,17.6453922 L17.9472136,17.7480616 C17.4795438,17.9818965 16.9638538,18.1036344 16.440983,18.1036344 L9.66834148,18.1034086 C9.31027068,18.6437214 8.696742,19 8,19 L6,19 C4.8954305,19 4,18.1045695 4,17 L4,12 C4,10.8954305 4.8954305,10 6,10 L8,10 C8.60249245,10 9.14276174,10.2664091 9.50943372,10.6878531 L9.58578644,10.6036344 L11,9.18942086 L11,6.75238209 C10.9999468,5.91477784 11.5910613,5.19356674 12.4123594,5.02913493 C13.3640475,4.8385978 14.290004,5.45563256 14.4813282,6.41129383 Z M8,11 L6,11 C5.44771525,11 5,11.4477153 5,12 L5,17 C5,17.5522847 5.44771525,18 6,18 L8,18 C8.55228475,18 9,17.5522847 9,17 L9,12 C9,11.4477153 8.55228475,11 8,11 Z M12.6086732,6.00967606 C12.2547259,6.08053973 11.9999771,6.39134718 12,6.75231863 L12,9.60363442 L10.2928932,11.3107412 L10.2060806,11.4098185 C10.0731645,11.583364 10,11.7968342 10,12.017848 L10,17.1036344 L16.440983,17.1036344 L16.6607228,17.0934175 C16.9522889,17.0662447 17.2369485,16.9851602 17.5,16.8536344 L17.5527864,16.8272412 L17.6506941,16.7693715 C17.8674461,16.6197561 18,16.3717633 18,16.1036344 L18,15.8397024 L18.0067325,15.7238578 C18.0201527,15.6087919 18.053502,15.4966304 18.1055728,15.3924888 L18.2763932,15.050848 L18.3281023,14.9274323 C18.4142842,14.67566 18.3970478,14.3977301 18.2763932,14.1564208 L18.2236068,14.050848 L18.1718977,13.9274323 C18.0857158,13.67566 18.1029522,13.3977301 18.2236068,13.1564208 L18.2763932,13.050848 L18.3281023,12.9274323 C18.4142842,12.67566 18.3970478,12.3977301 18.2763932,12.1564208 L18.2236068,12.050848 L18.1718977,11.9274323 C18.0857158,11.67566 18.1029522,11.3977301 18.2236068,11.1564208 L18.2763932,11.050848 L18.3281023,10.9274323 C18.4142842,10.67566 18.3970478,10.3977301 18.2763932,10.1564208 L18.25,10.1036344 L18.1931817,10.005781 C18.0268
<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/22571552.So_You_ve_Been_Publicly_Shamed" title="So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson" rel="noopener">So You've Been Publicly Shamed</a>
</b>, but I’m familiar with many of the stories in it (if you’re not, look at the many excellent reviews on GR). Scary stuff.<br><br><b>Update, January 2017, “Alternative Facts”</b><br><br>On 20 January 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the USA. He campaigned in the style of an autocratic, narcissistic demagogue. He had a long track record of flagrantly denying obvious, provable truths, even on trivial matters. The day after numerous photos and other measures showed unimpressive attendance at his inauguration, rather than blame poor weather or practical and financial difficulties of travel, Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary flat-out denied realistic estimates, refused to take questions, and threatened to crack down on the press. The resulting furore led to Kellyanne Conway, a Trump Strategist, defended him, saying he had merely presented <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts" rel="nofollow noopener">"Alternative Facts"</a>. <br><br>“<i>The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command… And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth's centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O'Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote: .....Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.</i>”<br><br>“<i>If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened – that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death? </i>”<br><br>“<i>The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy: they are deliberate exercises in doublethink</i>.”<br><br>“<i>Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.</i>” <br><br><b>UnTruth and UnReality - Three Types</b><br><br>• “The mutability of the past” means history is forever being <s>rewritten</s> corrected for slips, errors, misprints and misquotes, making truth unknowable (Winston is not even sure of his age or year of birth). <br><br>• The doublethink slogans of the Party are another deliberate type of unreality. <br><br>• The third confusion of reality is subtler, in stark contrast to the gritty realism of the rest of the book, and not one I’d really considered on previous readings. It relates to dreams, premonitions, hallucinations, and (in)sanity. Confusion from deprivation and torture is one thing, but there are possible magical-realist aspects. Early on, Winston dreams of meeting O’Brien “in the place where there is no darkness”; later mentions are ambiguous as to whether this is coincidence or something else. A country landscape is also familiar from a dream, and he has a muddled dream about the coral paperweight, his mother and a Jewish woman. Furthermore, there are times in prison when the interrogator’s knowledge seems too precise and secret to be inferred from spies, screens or microphones: can he read Winston’s mind?!<br><br>“<i>Reality exists in the human mind and nowhere else. </i>”<br><br><b>“If there is hope, it lies in the proles”</b><br><br>“<i>The proles were not loyal to a party or a country or an idea, they were loyal to one another… The proles had stayed human. </i>” As unimportant drones, they have freedom denied to Party members and “were beneath suspicion”.<br><br>Conditions in Airstrip One are dire, with food and basic services in very limited supply, but sanity is scarcest of all. “<i>Stupidity was as necessary as intellig
