It’s the obvious book choice—it has been staring me in the face the whole time, and many of you suggested it. I even touched on it last night when I wrote about Trump’s effort to rewrite history. It’s an important book without being ponderous, the perfect beach read for serious times. And, full disclosure, I write about it a bit in my forthcoming book, so it’s been top of mind (and bookshelf) for months.

Why this book? It’s an illuminating look at the risks of succumbing to fascism. And so much more. It underscores the vital role of open, truthful dialogues, like the ones we have here and take out into our communities. It’s about the protection of democratic institutions against the corrosive effects of misinformation and attempts to rewrite history. I’ve read it with my classes on and off, and we always benefit from it. If you’ve been around awhile, you know we’ve discussed it here more than once.

But I’ll share what pushed me over the edge to choose 1984. There are so many great choices in the comments that I’d be excited to read with you. I stopped counting when I hit 37 and ordered half a dozen I hadn’t heard of or didn’t own already. But I knew it was going to be 1984 when I saw this:


A bias monitor. Accepted by a major news network. Not a huge public outcry as Trump brings the thought police of fiction into fact. We are overdue to read, or reread, 1984.

George Orwell: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”

. . .