Genres

1984

Lists

The Search for Common Ground by Howard Thurman

For the Inward Journey by Howard Thurman

The Mood of Christmas & Other Celebrations by Howard Thurman

Christian Religion Published by African-Americans in Decade: 1980s

11 books — 1 voter

Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys by Jawanza Kunjufu

Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline in Black Children by Jawanza Kunjufu

Education by African-Americans Published in Decade: 1980s

4 books — 2 voters

The Smart Girl's Guide to Privacy by Violet Blue

Books on Intimidation, Harassment and Stalking

33 books — 13 voters

Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson

History Published in Decade: 1980s

134 books — 7 voters

Best Books of the Decade: 1980s

2,260 books — 2,432 voters

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Children's Fantasy of the 1980s

173 books — 53 voters

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“ We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares. But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Hu We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares. But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us. This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right. ...more ”
― Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

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“ The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possiblity of independent thought. There are therefore two great problems which the Party is concerned to solve. One is how to discover against his will what another human being is thinking and the other is how to kill several hundred million people in a few seconds without giving warning beforehand. ”
― George Orwell, 1984

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