[Trigger Warning: 90% Satire, 10% Truth]
The book “2020” is a retelling of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel “1984” but with this one taking place in modern day America. After President Biden steps down two months into his Presidency, President Harris (or “Big Sister”) leads the totalitarian Democratic government which controls every aspect of human life and thought.
The Ministry of Truth has successfully rewritten history to show every failed attempt at socialism as a flawless success story and every capitalist success story as a lie. In a clever twist, the author describes capitalist South Korea as a wasteland where people are oppressed and starving while declaring socialist North Korea as a beacon of freedom and prosperity. Sadly, this point will be lost on many modern readers who already believe this to be true.
In this dystopian version of America, the Harris administration follows in the example of the Obama administration in weaponizing the IRS. This newly dubbed “Ministry of Love” mercilessly punishes those who dare to uphold conservative values.
This retelling finds Protagonist Winston Smith under close scrutiny by the Thought Police after thinking that climate change theory might be wrong. When found privately praying to an unsanctioned version of God that doesn’t approve of every lifestyle, Smith is taken to the Science Reeducation Center. While there, Smith is taught that only liberals are capable of rational thought. Specific lessons demonstrate how you can accurately gauge the Earth’s temperature for millions of years using only ice layers, how god (if zhe exists) is a vague entity that has no role in humankind, and how everything we thought science taught us about identity is wrong. Spoiler alert: The final chapter finds Smith, hoping to avoid further torture, stating, “Gender isn’t real.” Sadly, Smith is again subjected to shock therapy until he correctly states, “Gender is real, but there are infinite genders.”
One-Line Reviews:
New York Times: “A utopian masterpiece about the glorious future under our Democratic Dictators.”
Kent Brockman: “I, for one, welcome our new Democratic Overlords.”
The Daily Wire: “Double plus ungood.”