Some time in my grade school years, I once put off a book report until it was almost too late to do anything about it.  (To this day, I still occasionally have this nightmare.)  With a couple of days to spare, I scoured my book shelves, looking for something relatively short.  I found Animal Farm, by George Orwell, which, not only had I not read it, I had had no clue as to what it was about.  (And looking back, I'm not even sure how I got it.)  I think I read the entire book right there in front of the bookshelf in one sitting.  I loved it, and relished in my first experiencing a book with allegory - nevermind such conceptual undertones as governments, human nature, and the impossibility of utopia.  And while I can't be sure, this was likely the point in my life when I began using the term "no way".

Over the years I grew closer to science fiction as a genre with which I felt most akin, both in literature and film.  In 2005, Amber and I caught V for Vendetta when it was still in theaters, and I was blown away.  (Yes, yes, I'm sure the graphic novel is better; I'll pick it up someday.)  I consider myself very conscious of the world around me, and at a time when the world was finding new ways to turn itself further upside down and inside out, this movie was pure candy.  But now, having finally read 1984 - and this is not a slam on Alan Moore or anyone else - I see how derivative anything even remotely dystopian is, compared to Orwell's One True King.

1984 was, simply, the best book I've ever read.  There's nothing I can really say about it that hasn't been said already.  It's 300 pages of wonderful science fiction ...that are also terrible realities.  Written in 1949, it's surprisingly contemporary in tone, deeply compelling, and fast-paced.  I have a bit of ageism when it comes to selecting books, and will admit to considering older books much more dubiously than recent ones (I'm not assuming quality; I'm just being realistic about what styles of writing keep my attention).  But reading 1984 was a better experience than reading probably half of the other very good and far more recent books littered around our apartment.

If you've read it before and consider yourself a fan (I'm cautioning not to use the word 'follower' here), there's really not much to say.  Let us exchange the briefest of glances, a la Winston and O'Brien, and continue on our way.

If you've never read 1984 before and can handle topics like conspiracies, human suffering, dystopian futures, and totalitarianism, I implore you to pick up a copy.  Pay with cash.

Further, I recommend the Signet Classics print with the above cover.  There is a superb afterword by Erich Fromm, who makes his own - as he puts it - "keen observations" on Orwell's writings.  I won't give it all away here, but specifically his notes on the term "free world" and applying the concept of doublethink to corporate communications is fascinating.

Finishing the book left me in that rare state where I don't want any more - no sequels, no compendiums - but I still felt the need to do something creative, to make something.  So I have two things.  The first, which I'm calling "Project 1985", is in the works; I'll have some info and updates as it develops.  If all goes according to plan, I'll have something fans of 1984 can buy and hopefully would love to have.  I wouldn't mind making a few dollars on the endeavor, but more importantly, there's a thing I feel needs to be made, because when I finished the book, I wanted this thing badly myself.  If lawyers don't screw it all up, I could have it ready in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

The second thing, which is far less exciting and much crappier, is the image below.  I had the oh-so-clever idea of Photoshopping a picture of Bush reading "My Pet Goat" on 9/11, but I could only find that one common picture and the book is obscured.  Instead, I used this other, far more hilarious image of him reading a book called "America" alongside a young girl, where he's holding the book upside down.  The first commentary: Bush reading 1984 to kids.  The second, which is a little hard to read, is a "W" inserted in Orwell's name, reading "George W. Orwell".  (It's extra amusing in that Bush could never actually author a book because he was practically illiterate - hilarious!).  And the third bit is that "America" is still upside-down on the back cover of Bush's copy, which might as well be printed like that on all real world back covers of 1984.  Crappy Photoshop work, I know - whatever, maaan, it's art!