I am sort of floored that it took me so long to read this book - this is exactly the type of book that I love. I feel like I should have read it in high school! I read it on family vacation and had a blast talking about it with many of my in-laws (who have all read it, of course). The entire time I was reading it, it seemed like every conversation I was in somehow related to the book; it was one of those books that was “about” everything.

One central tension from the book that has stuck with me in the weeks since I’ve finished it is that of external stimulation vs deep thought. The “Brave New World” society seems to stave off the latter by constantly enjoining the former. This is something that rings so true to me, and of course is no undocumented or mysterious phenomenon. In my work and in my personal life, either I’m thinking and processing, or I’m doing something else. Quietude and the fruits of quietude are their own domain, I suppose: and not replicable alongside other activities.

One line that has stuck with me from the book: “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery.” I don’t have much to say about it. But I like it.

Lastly: the book was great because it doesn’t have any heroes. Ideologies are presented and clashed, both through the narrative and in actual dialogue; but the way they are shared in the book shows the flaws of each. It seems clear to me that Huxley chose to present a less than pristine version of each worldview presented, which makes sense: we’re only human, and so our ideas are flawed.

This book is super short, too, so there’s much juice for not much squeeze. I’d recommend it to anyone.