Brave New World **1/2
By Aldous Huxley
What would a dystopian library be without "Brave New World"? It's pneumatic!
In a nutshell, “Brave New World” is the world of the not-so-distant future where the state engineers babies who will grow up to happily perform the tasks society requires to run smoothly, like in that that stupid Zager and Evans song “In the Year 2525.” There is no God, motherhood has become a dirty word, and everyone stays happy with drugs and sex. As in all dystopian utopias, there are malcontents who have to be weeded out to keep things on an even keel.
Having read this book about once a decade (so I’m on my fifth read), I'm coming to the conclusion that “BNW” is pretty overrated. The "Orgy Porgy" scene is godawful contrived, and so is the overwrought business about mothers.
However, the rise of jingoism, materialism and enforced happiness still have something to say to us now, and on my recent read-through, I found the breakdown of family ties more disturbing. Perhaps that’s because I’ve had my own child in the intervening years.
However, I think Ray Bradbury covered similar themes to better effect in "Fahrenheit 451."
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