Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Age Recommended: 14 and up

This book was my first choice for a lit circle in my school about dystopian fiction. We researched the author before reading the book and learned some very interesting things about him. I actually wouldn’t recommend this book to people who are easily offended. The book had explicit content from the beginning and also encouraged use of drugs in a dystopian society. However, the overall theme of the book was educational as it centered around identity and individuality.

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The book begins about 35 years in the future. Some boys are being taken on a tour of the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre; a thirty four story building in the heart of a dystopian society centered in London. There, the boys learn about how embryos are preserved and then conditioned for maximum utilization of their abilities in society.

In this society, nature is forbidden, as are learning from the past and communicating with people of other classes. In the dystopian society, there are five classes: Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Gammas, and Epsilons. The ranks are in alphabetical order with the highest rank actually being a Ford. Ford, the creator of the first car, is revered in this society as they believe that he introduced the first type of technology.

This story begins to develop when we are introduced to a character names Bernard. Immediately, he appears full of himself but later on, we understand that Bernard is actually just bored with this system and is looking for an adventure rather than the monotonous work that he and his fellow people are expected to perform for the rest of their lives.

Bernard’s opportunity arises when he is given an offer to go to an area where savages live. This area is seldom explored by people as it is believed to have a terrible influence on them and it represents the opposite of everything that they believe in: immortality and beauty. Here people age and look old (gasp!).

Surprisingly, Bernard’s world is turned upside down when he meets a savage named John who shares his ideas about adventure and life in general. However, this may hurt Bernard as his people are discouraged from this behavior.

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If you would like to read this book, you can purchase is here: Brave New World

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