In one of my reading challenges (the PopSugar 2023 list maybe?), there was a prompt along the lines of "read a book you should have read in high school". In high school I was very depressed, so I never did a lot of my assignments: many books on compulsory reading lists fell to the wayside. Despite being familiar with Orwell's work through 1984, which I liked, I somehow never got to Animal Farm (and it's often the case for neurodivergent folks that the more something gets touted as a "must read", the guiltier we feel about not reading it, and the more we avoid it as a result). But, I bit the bullet and read it in one sitting this afternoon.

If I'd read it aged 13 when I should have, I would have become radicalized a lot sooner, I think. As a satire, it works phenomenally, the unreliable narration is introduced in a way that's approachable for younger readers to grasp, and the anti-Soviet (I hesitate to say "anti-communist" because Stalinist Russia was never communism in practice, even if it was on paper) commentary draws from historical events with great fluency. I've said this about other recent reads but it stands here too: this is a classic for a reason.

I feel like American schools are going  to start removing this one from the curriculum, if they aren't already. I know it deals explicitly with Soviet Russia, but sooooomething tells me that themes like the spread of disinformation, the suppression of personal liberty, and the makings of a police state aren't something unique to the USSR, and are, in fact, already becoming a part of today's USA. (Sincerely, a Russian-born trans person watching you all from Canada)