1) I am currently reading a book called "Empire of Illusion" by Pulitzer laureate Chris Hedges. It discusses the general decline of literacy and the 'triumph of spectacles/fantasy' within contemporary Western society. Hedges analyzes the trends in Academia, Pornography, and the entertainment industry at large so as to better understand the dire cultural state we are in today.
2) While "Fahrenheit 451" has become a ubiquitously required high school text, many have the option of choosing to study other texts such as "1984" and "Brave New World". If you are one of those who chose "Farenheit", please venture forth and read the latter two books. They are gamechangers in the dystopian sci-fi genre, and deserve no less repute than they have garnished thus far.
3) "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" is Philip K. Dick's novel later adapted for film under the pseudonym "Blade Runner". It chronicles the dystopian society that, since the creation of androids, has lost touch with humanism and the quest for intellectual progress. A must read for sci-fi fans and fiction buffs alike.
4) Isaac Asimov's "Cave of Steel" is a story about the dominance of technology in modern society and how immediate gratification has grown to such excess that people no longer venture outside of shopping malls and theaters within an underground city. Asimov created a overpopulated, agoraphobic world to best elicit the ongoing struggle between fantasy and reality that is present in "Fahrenheit 451".
5) The Eastern European and Russian states during the mid 20th century have also been regarded as prime examples of social control and propagandistic nationalism. With this in mind, I suggest reading Czeslaw Milosz's "The Captive Mind". Told from the perspective of an escaped citizen, "The Captive Mind" deconstructs communism and fascism so as to deter its rebirth.
6) And last, but not least, "Children of Men" by P.D. James is a necessary read for those interested in propaganda and the power of fear in a world devoid of hope. For those of you who have yet to see the movie, read this first, then take a few weeks off to stabilize. The book is just as disturbing and will put you in a disassociative funk, to say the least.
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