# Books you haven't read but still feel qualified to talk about

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-havent-read-but-still-feel-qualified-to-talk-about/970527>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** books-writing-myths\
**Created:** [August 29, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-havent-read-but-still-feel-qualified-to-talk-about/970527 "2022-08-29T13:25:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-havent-read-but-still-feel-qualified-to-talk-about/970527/21 "2022-08-30T16:55:22Z")

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> [@Roger\_That](#):
>
> Likewise, my view of 1984 is now that it is a book about human psychology as much as it is about world politics.

My own view on _1984_ was that Orwell saw it as a needed warning. He felt that once a totalitarian society existed, it would be undefeatable. People like Winston Smith might resist but they would inevitably be crushed.

So Orwell was telling his readers they couldn’t be complacent. The only way you could defeat people like Hitler or Stalin or Saddam was before they rose to power. You have to fight tomorrow’s totalitarianism today because tomorrow will be too late.

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