Animal Farm
45. George Orwell, Animal Farm
One night, all the animals of the Manor Farm decide to rebel against its human owner and institute a new regime. Their chief ideal is that all animals are equal, and they believe firmly that, by eliminating humans from the farm, their lives will greatly improve. However, shortly after the revolution, things start to go awry. The pigs, being the smartest animals, start to take control of everything, and a power struggle emerges between the two most prominent pigs, Snowball and Napoleon. Before any of the other animals know what is happening, they find themselves cold, hungry, and terrified of saying or doing anything that might incur the pigs’ wrath.
Believe it or not, I never had to read this book in school, so this was my first exposure to it. Nevertheless, I knew that it was an allegory of the Russian Revolution and Soviet Communism, with the various animal characters standing in for actual historical figures such as Stalin. As such, it is a very thought-provoking and sobering read, with the ending being particularly chilling. I can definitely see why it is still required reading in most (though apparently not all!) schools, because the fundamental political questions it raises are still relevant today. Although this is a short novel written in a very plain style, it definitely has staying power and provides a lot of food for thought.