During my freshman year of college, I was assigned Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy in my first ever Political Science class. At the time, I was overwhelmed with the whole college thing, and didn't quite make it all of the way through the book. What I was able to read, however, I really enjoyed. In fact, it opened me up to a new political system that I never understood before - socialism.Looking Backward is a classic, utopian novel. The story is told in the first person from the main character's point of view. His name is Julian West, and he's a Boston gentleman of the 19th century. He falls asleep one night in the year 1887, but then wakes up in the year 2000. The Boston he finds himself in is very different than the one he's spent his life in thus far. Social classes have been eliminated, and instead society works as a well-oiled machine with all citizens being equal. The novel follows West as he explains to the reader how this new society works, and what his new life is like.
I thoroughly enjoyed Looking Backward, and I'm so glad I finally finished it over five years later! It's definitely a dense read, and at times the lengthy paragraphs can be a bit of a struggle. That said, this book is beautifully written, and really shows readers what a society based on socialism can look like if implemented. Of course, this is a work of fiction, and the nature of a utopian society is that it's not grounded in reality. Nonetheless, I find this world refreshing, and my copy of the book is replete with tabs marking my favorite quotes.
I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and highly recommend it if you are interested in political philosophy. I think Looking Backward is also the perfect book for people who love the dystopian genre and are looking to break into classics. You can purchase this book on Amazon HERE using my affiliate link to support my blog.
