All Chosen by You
Last week we hosted a new poll on our Facebook page, asking you for your favourite novels with a political theme. I added the results today and at times it was like a ‘choose your favourite Orwell novel’ list, but there were plenty of other suggests too. Unsurprisingly dystopia reigned supreme but there was plenty of real life stuff too, and much of it just as scary.
Thanks to all who weighed in, and from the many replies we have a list of 30 must-read politically charged novels, as chosen by you.
1984 – George Orwell
Is anyone really surprised to see Orwell’s dystopian future at the top of this list? Radical when it was written, Orwell’s 1984 has become more like an instruction manual for governments throughout the years and remains relevant today.
Animal Farm – George Orwell
It was a closely run race for the top spot, but Orwell was only racing himself. His allegorical account of the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 is sharp, witty and insightful.
Advise and Consent – Allen Drury
After years creating these lists you never fail to surprise me with books I’ve never heard of, and this was one of them. Advise and Consent is a political novel written in the late 1950s, exploring the US Senate confirmation of controversial secretary of state nominee Robert Leffingwell. Many of you also recommended the sequel, and Advise and Consent won the Pultizer Prize in 1960.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
As the years go by I live in hope that our laws at least will become more secular, yet we seem again to be moving towards religious morals, many of which take away women’s rights. In these times I’m not surprised to see The Handmaid’s Tale at the top of this list, it may be fictional, but it shows horrors many women face today.
Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Oxford’s word of the year is post-truth, so maybe a world where people have no interest in the truth of literature and intelligence is shunned could be a scary reality. Fahrenheit 451 is a good example of what happens when a democracy turns its back on the thinkers.
All the King’s Men – Robert Penn Warren
Pulitzer Prize winning All the King’s Men looks at the political rise and governorship of Willie Stark, a cynical populist in the American South in the 1930s, and it’s easy to see why it sprung to mind for many given recent events.
11/22/63 – Stephen King
We have so many King fans on the page, and this fantastic tale of a time traveller and the assassination of John F. Kennedy throws up some fascinating insight and conundrums.
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Huxley’s 1932 novel of a society profoundly changed by technology, drugs and manipulation is relevant, thrilling and highly readable and I’m only surprised it’s not further up the list.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
It may be modern, it may be young adult but there’s no denying that the Hunger Games is a fantastic portrayal of what corrupt governments can do!
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged is considered to be Rand’s greatest work and fans of the novel are obsessive about the dystopian world where the end of capitalism creates a terrifying dystopian future.
11. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
12. It Can’t Happen Here – Sinclair Lewis
13. The Foundation Trilogy – Isaac Asimov
14. House of Cards – Michael Dobbs
15. Deception Point – Dan Brown
16. V for Vendetta – Alan Moore
17. The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid
18. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
19. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (review)
20. Executive Orders – Tom Clancy
And after the featured top 20, here we take the list to the full 30 books:
Seven Days in May – Fletcher Knebel
Perdido Street Station – China Mieville
The Sum of All Fears – Tom Clancy
Absolute Power – David Balducci
Patriot Games – Tom Clancy
High Society – Ben Elton
Look Who’s Back – Tim Vermes
Starship Troopers – Robert Heinlein
The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
Fall of Giants – Ken Follett
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