I REALLY enjoyed this slim volume! The ideas were very exciting! Made me wonder why some couldn't be used today. Actually there was the idea of going to a central location to order what you need, and have it delivered before you arrived home. Sort of like Amazon (?)... LOL. That seemed to be a Utopia I could live in.
A great read. I've been through it twice, and am almost due for a re-read. 1888 novel, with Jules Verne-type prescience. Julian West, 30-year old cultured Bostonian, goes into deeper hypnotic sleep than anticipated, and is awakened in 2000. The descriptions of the new world are utopian, and the social/economic changes are beneficial to all. Much of the technology and conveniences are common to us, post-2000. The sequel, Equality (1897), is not so much a continuation of the well-told story as it is a description/polemic of how the changes came about, as eventually discovered by West.
Anyone reading various literary utopias and dystopias should read both these volumes as well.
Anyone reading various literary utopias and dystopias should read both these volumes as well.
Melissa W. (mwalton) - , reviewed Looking Backward (Dover Thrift Editions) on + 25 more book reviews
Intriguing look at alternative governmental style. Although his plan has many flaws, it definately can spark conversation.
