strangely, 1984 by george orwell saved my life in middle school by introducing me to the concept of doublethink… but also it is just a great dystopian book if you’re into that
the utopian novel by the father of behaviorism b.f. skinner.
i'm really glad he was an academic because novels are definitely not his forte, although some parts can be specially enjoyable as a psych student because of the idea of some concepts being applied in the way he presents it (again, not really in the way good novels work). also it's so clearly a self-insert.
but the Best part is reading some excerpts and thinking immediately "that's for sure the reason why they accused him of being a communist"
this book has galvanized me to change something about my lifestyle/outlook in a way no book has in a loooong time. if you’ve ever wondered what a solution to the climate crisis could look like that doesn’t rely on the state enforcing top-down solutions at the cost of individual liberties, doesn’t rely on capitalist corporations selling you technology to profit from crisis and that causes exploitation in the foreign countries where its raw materials are extracted from, doesn’t divert responsibility onto individuals by insisting it’s your fault for not using metal straws, and doesn’t bank on wishful thinking that AI will provide a lifestyle of luxury for all, but that instead emphasizes reprioritizing connection to community and communal self governance, meaningful labor and a sustainable work life balance, the human right to their environment, and an economic shift towards prioritizing practical use over scarcity-based profiteering, then this book is for you. we will have to stop growing our global economy though, but it’s actually going to be better that way.
