This book is not for the faint of heart. It isn't extremely gory or anything, but one of the two societies described in Brave New World is a very Technocratic society and to a disturbing extreme. In London, people are made in test tubes and are divided into different classes. While the “Alpha” and “Beta” classes are put in decanting bottles and allowed to grow naturally, the growth of the rest is interfered with by use of different chemicals. They are then conditioned as children and work for the rest of their lives in their allotted classes. Drugs are used to enhance moods. Everything is very clean. Sex is recreational and encouraged to be so when they are very young children. I could go on and on and on.
The other society, the Savage Reservation, is the extreme opposite (which is forced on them by the Technocratic society). This society is very tribal and religious. They live in huts and general filth. They are considered “Savages”.
I am afraid to go too far into this book because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who wants to read it. However, I will add this:
I believe that everyone should read this book when they are mature enough to deal with what is in it. Some of it disturbed me, but that is necessary.
I had a hard time putting this book down. It was very well written and it toys with you. When push comes to shove, characters turn out to be different from what you expect. There is only one character in this book who I truly liked and I believe that this is what Aldous Huxley intended. The lessons that we learn from this book are about extremes in society and how one or the other are unhealthy. There needs to be a medium. People are meant to love and feel and really live. We are meant to be empathetic and understanding of others.
Next time I will review Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.
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