Three books that changed my life and have relevance today warn us not to be apathetic

In high school, I was introduced to three books that changed my life. They are all of the genre known as “dystopian fiction.”

What is that? Well, if utopia is like heaven on Earth or the Garden of Eden, dystopia would be the opposite. Not exactly hell, because that’s not “real,” at least not while we are alive. More like an oppressive police state, or life under an all-powerful dictator, where the individual is subjugated for the good of “the state.” Dystopia is not fun, to say the least.

The three books are “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley from 1931; “Animal Farm” by George Orwell (pseudonym of Eric Blair) from 1945; and “1984” also by George Orwell, from 1949. These three books had a profound impact on my life.

Considering the times we are living in, I thought it would be great to reread them and see how they’ve fared over time. I rarely buy books because I read so many — I get them from the library, just to save on having to shelve and store them — but I decided to buy new copies of these three.

I figure I’ll give them to my grandkids when they get to high school (and let’s hope high school teachers will still be able to assign these profoundly important works by then). So let’s take a brief look at each book, in the order of when it was published.

“Brave New World”

After the nine years war, the whole world is composed of two societies: a modern one where babies are born from test tubes, destined to be in distinct social classes, and “savages” that live a primitive, jungle-type existence.

The modern society uses all kinds of means like chemicals, sleep motivation conditioning, and “soma,” an LSD-like drug that provides bliss without hangovers. In terms of morality, “everyone belongs to everyone.” There are no mothers, no fathers, and you can have sex with whomever you want.

In fact, there is no real sense of the individual in this world; you’re just part of whatever caste you were “born” into. The tension in the novel comes from one of the savages being brought to the “brave new world” and how he reacts to it.

This imagined future may seem preposterous in many ways; consider how short the “free love” period of the 1960s was. But think about how, for many people, TV is like soma, in terms of just vegging out in front of it and being “programmed” by it.

Also, at the time this book was written, overpopulation was on everyone’s mind. Now, we see developed countries in the West actually losing population, and it’s only in the so-called “third world” where overpopulation is still a problem.

“Brave New World” may seem a little dated now, but its message about conformity, mind control, and the basic concept of individual autonomy still resonates today.

My copy of “Brave New World” came with “Brave New World Revisited,” from 1958, where Huxley expands on the original. When I read this, my body went into “flight or fight” mode; I was literally shaking.

I felt like I had to hit something or run. That’s because he describes in detail how dictators and demigods use the “Nazi playbook” to further their own agendas.

Large, screaming crowds at rallies being driven into a frenzy with simple code words (think “lock her up!”); repeating a lie over and over until many believe it’s true (“the election was rigged!”); and the unabashed use of lies and propaganda (“I’ll build a wall and Mexico will pay for it!”).

Trust me, if you really want to understand our times, read “Brave New World Revisited.” That this was all predicted, just about exactly how it played out, so long ago just blows me away.

“Animal Farm”

“Animal Farm” is, without doubt, one of my favorite books of all time. Using a simple Aesop’s fable-like style, Orwell completely destroys communism.

After the animals kick the oppressive humans off the farm, two pigs — Napoleon and Snowball, metaphors for Stalin and Trotsky, the infamous Russian revolutionaries — get the animals organized to run the farm themselves.

Using a simple catchphrase, “four feet good, two feet bad,” the farm does well at first. As time goes on, the pigs become more greedy, and pretty soon conditions are even worse than when the humans were in control.

The catchphrase at the end of the story — “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” — has entered the public lexicon and is used any time totalitarian regimes or dictators are discussed.

This book, due to its sheer simplicity yet powerful themes, is an all-time classic. These days, book bans, unbelievably, are becoming a thing.

Many are banned due to what can be considered graphic, inappropriate, or clearly racist content. I’m not a fan of banning any books, because no one is forcing you to read any of them, but I will say this: The day that “Animal Farm” goes on the banned book list is the day when we really have to worry.

“1984”

“1984” is, by far, the scariest of these three books. In a post-war future, Winston Smith works for “the Party.” His job is to rewrite history, such that the party is not now and never has been wrong.

This is in a state where “Big Brother” is always watching and listening. There are surveillance cameras everywhere, even in one’s own home. In this society, even a tick of the eye can get you reported to the “Thought Police.”

Winston meets a young lady and they have a brief affair, but they soon get caught. They then experience brutal physical torture, which is described in horrific detail.

As bad as that is, you don’t even get the pleasure of a bullet to the head until your mind is completely broken down and rebuilt. When you honestly believe that “2 + 2 = 5” — not because it does, but because the party says it does — then you can have peace, by death or by expulsion.

You might think “1984” is too extreme, but it is a fact that, in communist societies today, people get “disappeared” all the time. This is why sending anyone to atrocious prisons in other countries is so wrong; we are all about due process in this country.

Everyone, even the worst of us, is guaranteed his or her day in court. Period. We should be extremely angry — even up in arms — about this.

Plucking people off the street is not now and never has been who we are (but don’t tell that to innocent Japanese people who had to suffer the indignity of abhorrent internment camps during the last world war).

The term “Big Brother is watching” has also entered the public lexicon. In the book, there were screens and cameras all over the place. You could never shut off the propaganda, just lower the volume.

But think about this: We all carry radio transmitters with us at all times, so “they” know where we work, where we live, where we eat, and where we shop. Under the guise of listening for keywords like “Alexa” or “Siri,” they listen to us all the time and do who knows what with all that data. All I have to do is drive by an Asian restaurant, and the next thing I see is ads for Asian food on Facebook.

Let’s go back to the party saying “2 + 2 = 5.” That’s called “doublethink” in Newspeak, the language of 1984. It’s like when a certain gentleman claims his Park Avenue penthouse is 30,000 square feet, when it’s actually 11,000 square feet.

If the duly elected leader of the country says it’s 30,000 square feet, then that’s what it is. And somehow you’re not worried yet? Holy moly, give me some soma now, please!

These books and these outcomes are scary to the max. What causes these things to happen is apathy. In “Brave New World,” the people had free sex and soma to keep them down. In “Animal Farm,” it was slogans and team spirit that united them, until the team showed their true colors. In “1984,” it was a ruthless class of madmen that craved power for power’s sake.

Don’t let apathy happen. Read newspapers, read books, stay involved, think for yourself and, above all, vote. Your life, and your grandkids’ lives, may literally depend on it. I’m serious.

There is a lot of other great dystopian fiction, like "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison (what happens when Artificial Intelligence takes over), “Fahrenheit 451” by Kurt Vonnegut (book burning), and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood (women as baby-making vessels).

Still, nothing compares to “Brave New World,” “Animal Farm,” and “1984.” They are by far the best of this depressing but vital genre. If you have not yet read them, or if it’s been decades since you looked at them, I urge you, read them now. They will give you much more clarity about what is going on in our country today.

Let’s end with the party’s slogans from “1984”:

— War is Peace;

— Freedom is Slavery

— Ignorance is Strength

Consider yourself warned.