Brave New World

Required reading by many schools throughout the country, Brave New World is a brilliant work of fiction, as readable and pertinent today as it was over 65 years ago. Huxley's tone of semi-serious alarm and focus on specific philosophical and ethical controversies has remained amazingly contemporary -- indeed, many would argue that the future he portrayed is right here in our own society. As read by British actor Michael York, this unabridged audio edition of the book is both timely and absolutely captivating.
Huxley has set his story in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford, a Utopian deity), in what was once Great Britain (now Utopia). Happiness is the aim of the state, and Community, Identity, Stability its motto, to which are sacrificed art, personal expression, and individual freedom. Real power is in the hands of ten World Controllers, who exercise rigid control at all levels to maintain their ideals: conditioning everyone to think alike, banning natural births, and handing out the tranquilizer soma to those not happy enough. Games, work, and social groups are structured to keep everyone content.
But there are still some non-Utopians remaining on the Savage Reservation; and it is the discovery of the natural-born savage, John, and his introduction to the Utopian society that drive the plot of Brave New World. This compelling story challenges easy assumptions and raises fundamental questions about individual freedom in the face of scientific advances for the common good.