There is a startlingly untapped resource in every school in America. In most towns, there are over 124,000 public libraries in America alone. And yet, we as a society drag our heels when it comes to doing our homework.
I don’t mean the kind assigned in a classroom. I mean the kind we have to do now and then to understand the world around us. Steven King said, “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.” This, in many ways, means that research doesn’t have to be nonfiction but can also come from somewhat fictional tales. I don’t mean that reading Harry Potter should be taken as truth, though. Many fictional stories can be used as nuanced takes on current events and serve as an allegory for the dangers of corrupt governments, control, and manipulation.
The three stories I would like to focus on are very well-known; maybe you’ve already read them or heard of them. My most burning suggestion is that you read these books and do your homework.
- 1984 by George Orwell
Summarized as a dystopian vision of the future where the freedom of the individual is subjugated to the conformity of society. The novel focuses on Winston Smith, who works for the Ministry of Truth, a branch of the government responsible for the spreading of information. This connection is alarmingly similar to many of the points in the Heritage Foundations Project 2025 (full pdf linked) Project 2025: Emphasis on the IC (Intelligence Community) watching Americans who are not in line with what the president orders. According to the HF (Heritage Foundation) on page 205, “future IC leadership must address the widely promoted ‘woke’ culture that has spread throughout the federal government with identity politics and ‘social justice.” In other words, the information not approved or created by them is not permitted.
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” A direct and famous quote from the 1945 novel. This book is an allegory for the communist revolution and events that lead up to it. Written as a satire on totalitarianism, written in the wake of World War II and published amidst the rise of the Soviet Union. However, we know it is not outdated due to the many parallels of how the ruling class treats the working class in our every day life, specifically in America.
Some more books like these with real world subtext are; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood, and many more.
In conclusion, fiction is written in the wake of the real world, often times , the subtext answers more questions than outwardly asked. I suggest, as a reader, a writer, and a person living in America: Do Your Homework, ask the questions that come to mind, read into things, and never stop learning.
