“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” So begins the sinister tale of Winston Smith and his struggle against the all-mighty Party.

Thirty-nine years after the conclusion of World War II, England is brainwashed by a mysterious form of government that has always seemed to exist, but no one knows how or why. Winston Smith, a withered man with a damaged memory and curious demeanor, works in the Ministry of Truth while, ironically, altering history into government-supported lies. No one knows how to escape constant surveillance, nor do they want to. Mindless acquiescence courses through their veins. Big Brother, the face of the Party, stares down from every street corner.

In his dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell paints the struggle of Winston as he fights against government oppression and separates fiction and reality. His work is not frightening for its vivid depiction of a dehumanized country, but rather for its realistic possibility. A warning of the dangers of totalitarianism, 1984 combines futuristic technology with government-issued propaganda to create a twisted future in the hands of a maniac. Could this be our future as well?

Read with caution. Big Brother is watching you.