CRWN Book Club - July 2010

1984 by George Orwell

Novel by George Orwell, published in 1949 as a warning about the menaces of totalitarianism. The novel is set in an imaginary future world that is dominated by three perpetually warring totalitarian police states. The book's hero, Winston Smith, is a minor party functionary in one of these states. His longing for truth and decency leads him to secretly rebel against the government. Smith has a love affair with a like-minded woman, but they are both arrested by the Thought Police. The ensuing imprisonment, torture, and reeducation of Smith are intended not merely to break him physically or make him submit but to root out his independent mental existence and his spiritual dignity. Orwell's warning of the dangers of totalitarianism made a deep impression on his contemporaries and upon subsequent readers, and the book's title and many of its coinages, such as NEWSPEAK, became bywords for modern political abuses.

Our next book club will be — Thursday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m.
RSVP policy: If you wish to attend this meeting, RSVP at your earliest convenience. To maintain a tranquil, quality discussion, the Book Club is limited to 15 participants per meeting. Reservations are taken on a first-to-e-mail, first-served basis. Those who successfully register to attend will be given the address where the meeting will take place about a week before the meeting. 
RSVP to crwn_bookclub@att.net.