1984

 Reading 1984 by George Orwell is an enlightening act of masochism.
Through Winston Smith's grim experiences in his dystopian world, Orwell offers more than a warning about the future. The Party dehumanizes the novel's population by promoting values that our society often embraces willingly. This realization is jarring.
Some of the Party's doctrines enforced on the masses include ignorance, rejection of rationality, and impoverishment of language. Ironically, as Orwell says, the masses “can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect.”
Winston attempts to resist the oppressive, controlling structure by embracing simple human values, such as loving someone and acknowledging reality. He does so with the full knowledge that his actions will lead to pain and demise, and that the power of the all-knowing Big Brother is immense.
Orwell's depiction of this world is magnificent. Despite being published in 1940, the language is modern, reinforcing the perception that it is a contemporary story. Some of the scientific ideas, such as shaping the cognitive abilities of the population by simplifying and redefining language, are relevant today in the concept of “linguistic determinism.” This concept appears in other science fiction works, such as Ted Chiang's “Story of Your Life,” though in that case, the effect on people is positive.
1984 is an eye-opening punch in the gut, and it needs to be read.