The Island

"Which is better - to be born stupid into an intelligent society 
or intelligent into an insane one?"

A follow-up to Brave New World, Huxley offers a cross between utopia and primitive-ity for a "sane" society. Island has many of the same themes as Brave New World, but they are dealt with very differently. 


Drugs are still used, but they are used to put the society in an enlightened state for the purpose of gaining knowledge. Likewise with the trances, as they are used for hyper-learning. This "sane" society merges the best of the East and West, as well as utilizing the best of technology, science, and religion, as opposed to being slaves to it. 


To be completely honest, the book was a little over my head and I will definitely have to re-read it in the future to gain a better understanding.

Thirsty

Thirsty by MT Anderson

"And I realize that the decision to be human is not one single instant, but is a thousand choices made every day. It is choices we make every second and requires constant vigilance. We have to fight to remain human"

When I saw this book I thought it was made to make fun of Twilight, actually written in '97. Were any Twilight fans even *born* then?? 

Thirst is a satire, but not on the vampire pop culture cult. (is that redundant?)It's not even a vampire book. It's about being a teenager and being human. Sometimes it takes turning into a vampire to realize what it takes to be a human.

Reading it without the lens of knowledge of intent of Anderson, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book. It seems that many folks did not enjoy Thirsty because they thought it was a vampire book. Silly people. Don't you know who Anderson is and his writing style?

But I did enjoy this book. 
Did I love it? No. 
Was it worth reading? Yes.
Will I read it again? Maybe.
Do I recommend it for you? I don't know.