Animal Farm Audio CD – Unabridged, February 1, 2008

As with most readers, my intro to George Orwell came by way of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The novel remains a dystopian masterpiece by which all others are measured. It birthed an entire genre and coined the “Orwellian” adjective, used to describe ideas that are uniquely corrosive to society. Its influence can be seen in countless titles, everything from The Handmaid’s Tale to The Hunger Games.Nineteen Eighty-Four is a haunting tale of totalitarian overreach. It’s very hard to read, but not because of challenging prose. Rather, it carries an uncomfortable realness and familiarity. The ongoing ails of society are trapped within its pages. The lessons are disturbing, necessary, and leave you with a looming sense of dread that is impossible to shake.Thus, a general rule for reading more Orwell is “Did you like Nineteen Eighty-Four?”In answering the question for myself, the term “like” might be a tad anemic. Orwell painted with words and few can match his prose, so “appreciate” sounds better since it’s damn near impossible to “enjoy” Nineteen Eighty-Four. But yes, once the mind-melting horror had faded from my conscience, I was ready to explore the next Orwellian nightmare.For most, that takes the form of Animal Farm.This is a short novella written as a satirical fable, the premise of which is deceptively simple. The animals of a poorly run farm decide to rebel. They drive out the human owner and take over operations, with the goal of creating an animal utopia. Sounds cute, right? But then you learn that Orwell mirrored the story on the events that sparked the Russian Revolution and rise of Stalin. It goes about as well as you’d think.From an educational standpoint, Animal Farm does something truly remarkable. It teaches us about the perils of dictatorships in a short parable about rebellious livestock. We learn, in no uncertain terms, just how easy it is to manipulate good intent. In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, “That escalated quickly.” Orwell knew how to twist a stomach, and this frightening novella is another shining example.So, did I “like” Animal Farm? Not particularly. But that’s only because it was a brilliant, heedful, and harrowing read that stabbed my brain.

Animal Farm is also an extraordinary exploration of the workings of propaganda. Among the many memorable lines from Orwell’s Animal Farm, no doubt the phrase “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others” is the best known. One can think of our current political and social landscape where we could say that in the United States of America all are equal, but more will be made equal by those who work and accomplish, and will be compelled to be responsible for taking care of the less equal by making the less equal the most equal.So when you vote now or anytime in the foreseeable future, ask these questions: Will I vote for Pigs (read Orwell’s Animal Farm) to be in power? Will I vote for the Grand Liars or the tiny liars? Will I vote for the Evil Perverters of Truth or the evil perverters of truth? Words for thought, while some words still mean something!

Animal Farm might help most anyone from any persuasion gain an insight into what ails us today. Might we all find hope and the courage to speak honestly, respectfully with honor and dignity towards all.

I read Animal Farm when I was a freshman in HS. I really didn't understand the concepts presented at that time. I decided to reread and the books concepts were relavant.

A quick read where the plot becomes apparent and predictable in short order. I recommend reading this book and sharing it with others. Orwell was either writing the playbook for socialists in the future or trying to warn his own about their overreach into personal freedoms. This book is simple to read yet clearly portrays the essential ideals and thoughts.*Note, this story is not related to the story told in 1984.*

The problem with revolutions around the world laid bare! The liberator turns oppressor! Such a pityA very good read

Always enjoy revisiting this book. It looks like this story still continues to repeat itself. It is like Mr. Orwell had looked in the future.Danni

So Profound…….Its political satire at its bestIt’s scary to see how close this book is to what is going on in this country now .This should be mandatory reading in every class room ….. maybe it would open the eyes of the youth in this country

Everybody jumps to 1984 as a comparison to what's happening today. Personally, I think Animal Farm is even more relevant and terrifying (once you make the connections with today's reality.)I read this in one go. All the behaviours described within are widespread today (2019), far more so than even 10 years ago. Bad things are happening - all the signs are here, but we dismiss them so we can continue feeling safe.If 1984 describes our near future, Animal Farm is the here and now.Orwell clearly wrote this knowing what had happened before, to warn us it would almost certainly happen again. I think our time is up.

DO NOT buy this edition on kindle. It’s like a bad translation from a foreign language, makes no sense. I thought at first it was me, but the more I read, the more my head hurt. It’s terrible.And the paragraphs!!I gave up about five pages in and bought a different copy. Avoid avoid avoid

1984 is coming... I think Animal Farm just happened! In this weird time of different news and decisions being made every day, reading Animal Farm can open our eyes to what is happening around is. We have our very own Napoleon and Squealer, making their own rules and changing these whenever they need to.The quality of this edition is superb. Would look amazing in a personal library. Text is a nice size and there is great additional content. Well worth a buy! No spoilers here, just buy it and read it, you really won't be disappointed.

[Spoiler warning]George Orwell was very good at writing books which would continue to be relevant for the future. It is often said that he accurately predicted the future with 1984 and Animal Farm but sadly he wasn't predicting the future he was writing about what was already happening at that point in time. Situations such as:* Manipulating the lower class animals to work harder and longer to achieve a greater good whilst at the same time reducing their food rations and living conditions. Simultaneously the ruling class of pigs got richer and increased their luxuries. ]* The use of propaganda to stir emotion in the animals and get them to conform.* Convincing the animals that certain facts they had previously been told had never happened.* Demonising someone and blaming them for all the bad things that were happening at the farm.I'm sure anyone reading this would be able to draw parallels to worldwide modern life and political systems and those of years gone by.This is an important book for any young adult to read, perhaps for them it would be an eye-opening, powerful story but sadly for most adults we are more likely to adopt the role of Benjamin the Donkey, we've seen it all before.

This is only a short novel, stretching to just over one hundred pages, written in simple English, but with a very powerful message. It is easy to read.Although set in rural England it is a thinly veiled critique of Stalinism written at the time when the dictator was at the height of his power and in integral ally in the fight against Hitler. A little understanding of European history during the 1920's and 1930's is necessary to make the parallel connections, but the plot still works without this knowledge. This is a story about how the less fortunate can become victims of the manipulative. It is about the abuse of power and how the unscrupulous could brutally exploit the willing. Unlike the sub-title it does not have a fairy-tale ending.The introduction and the two appendices [compelling essays in their own right] give a nice insight to why the author wanted to write this story and the original Establishment objections to its publication.