“But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006) (first published 1932)
Genre: Science Fiction, Classic
Honors: ALA's Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of (2011), Modern Library's 5th 100 Best English-language novels of the 20th century (1999), The Observer's #53 Top 100 Greatest Novels of All Time (2003) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]
Review: Far in the future society has made creating human beings into a very accurate scientific procedure. There are no more families, no mothers, no fathers, everything is done in a factory. Sex is a favorite and un-taboo pastime. But loner Bernard Marx is different from the rest and after finally catching the eye of his lover interest Lenina he takes her to visit a savage reservation where they discover a naturally born human, John. He comes back with them but cannot adjust to the sexual freedom and lack of religion in this brave new world.
Opinion: A great cautionary tale of living life in moderation: a world with too much science is not good, and a life with too much religion is just as bad. It's a classic so many teens might be required to read it for their classes, but regardless its still a very interesting and thought provoking book.
Ideas: Good book to give a student who is especially gifted and likes dystopian type science fiction. Also would make a good addition to a banned book display.
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