Dystopias and Warnings

The books, in order

1. 1

   Fiction · 17 min

   Animal Farm

   George Orwell

   The Seven Commandments painted on the barn wall protect the animals only until the pigs have the power to rewrite the paint.

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2. 2

   Fiction · 13 min

   Fahrenheit 451

   Ray Bradbury

   Constant noise works like anesthesia: without silence, we stop hearing our own dissatisfaction.

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3. 3

   Fiction · 14 min

   Lord of the Flies

   William Golding

   Faceless fear is fuel: the less concrete the threat, the easier it is to use it to control others.

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4. 4

   Fiction · 15 min

   Brave New World

   Aldous Huxley

   The world of the book buys stability with planned inequality: each caste is manufactured to like the place it was given, and no one has to be forced to obey.

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5. 5

   Fiction · 15 min

   The Trial

   Franz Kafka

   In the book, K.'s brilliant speech changes nothing: speaking well does not help when the people who decide are not even listening.

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