1984

George Orwell
Fiction

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.

Who should read this book:

  • People who like dystopian fiction
  • Anyone interested in what Totalitarianism taken to its extreme would look like

Recommended by:

Richard Branson
Emma Watson
Jordan Peterson
Timothée Chalamet