Book Summary — Anthem

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My 1 paragraph summary:

Anthem portrays a utopian world, where humans regressed to a quasi-communistic society with the technology of our 1800’s.

This short book is fast-paced and well-written. The narrative follows a young 20-year-old man born in a utopian world. The world the author describes is technologically stuck in the 1800’s, society is quasi-communistic. You don’t actually find out what happened to the world as we know it.

• people are separated, get assigned jobs which they need to work for the rest of their lives
• the population is centrally controlled by ministries
• innovation only happens if all scholars unanimously approve (ie introducing candles took them 50 years of approvals)

The narrative is gripping — especially the narrative around the character who always refers to himself as “we” rather than “I”. The set up of the utopian world and it’s many rules are intriguing and you find yourself wondering how the world regressed to that state.

The book reaches its climax in the last two chapters.

They really make you appreciate real freedom and self-expression

— some quotes below:

You be You

I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.

Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy; “I will it!”

I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

“Communism” / Root of all Evil

For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root on man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie.

The word “We” is a lime poured over men, which sets and hardens stone and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.