Dystopian Literature recommended by Librarian Sarah Houghton
Atwood, Margaret. Handmaid's Tale.
In the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, far-right ideals have been carried to extremes in the monotheocratic government. The resulting society is a feminist's nightmare: women are strictly controlled, unable to have jobs or money and assigned to various classes: the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to the "morally fit" Wives.
Bellamy, Edward. Looking Backward.
A young Boston gentleman is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century--from a world of war and want, to one of peace and plenty.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
Guy Montag, a "fireman" whose job it is to burn books, begins to doubt his society's high-speed, hedonistic way of life when he meets Clarisse McClellan, a young girl whose family lives a slower, more graceful existence. As Montag's dissatisfaction increases, he seeks out a retired English professor named Faber for support. Montag must flee civilization and, on Faber's advice, find a group of outcasts who have dedicated themselves to memorizing whole books while the rest of society destroys itself in a pointless war.
Burdekin, Katharine. Swastika Night.
This novel depicts a male-controlled fascist world where women are kept as cattle (breeders), while men in this post-Hitlerian world are embittered automatons, fearful of all feelings, having abolished all history, education, creativity, books, and art. The plot centers on a “misfit" who asks, "How could this have happened?”
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange.
Told by the central character, Alex, this disturbing novel creates an alarming futuristic vision of teen violence, high technology, and authoritarianism.
Butler, Samuel. Erewhon.
A tale of a simple shepherd who travels to find a hidden country where the sick are imprisoned and the criminal are 'healed'. The traveler meets the straighteners, who are doctors for the criminally ill and visits the musical bank and the College of Unreason.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
In this brave new world, everyone consumes daily grams of soma to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no violence and everyone is provided for, Bernard Marx feels something is missing and senses his relationship with a young women has the potential to be much more than the confines of their existence allow.
Orwell, George. 1984.
In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party.
Rand, Ayn. Anthem.
A short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed. Anthem also provides a good introduction to Rand's philosophy of "objectivism," which is built on individuality, freedom, and reason.
Wells, H G. The Time Machine.
A Victorian scientist invents a machine that transports him far into the future where he discovers a changed world inhabited by two unusual races, the Eloi and the Morlocks.
