Mark Rawlinson

This is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time! I think the first time I read it, I was maybe a freshman in high school. I loved how the invented words added a layer of immersion to the story, and the ways in which one could visualize the scenes. The way in which it is written is just remarkable. Truly a must-read for all, I think. Of course, there is a certain level of violence and sexuality that is not appropriate for all. But the story, the writing, and the social issues the story points to are simply a winning combination. A true masterpiece.
And read the book before you see the film!… (more)

It took me a couple chapters to get into the story because of the different vocabulary that the characters use. Once I was into it though, there was no going back. Burgess shocks the reader by his vivid use of details when describing the violent acts Alex and his "droogs," or friends, engage in, but in a way that makes you want to keep reading. The reader wants to know what their cause is for behaving in this way and what's going to happen to balance out their viscous acts. This book brings several moral questions into context. One being about the idea of freedom...freedom from society's predisposed notions of how a person in certain age groups acts, freedom from government laws and actions that are sometimes unjust or inhumane, freedom for an individual himself to determine what's right and wrong (mainly the last one). There's also the idea about how violence or malevolence manifests itself in people necessarily so they are given the opportunity to decide how they shall handle it and what consequences will come of their actions should they choose to indulge this evilness. If you're going to read the book though, you really need to read the edition with 21 chapters instead of the edition with only 20. If I had just stopped reading at the end of the 20th chapter and not reached the conclusion Alex has, I probably would have been disappointed. It makes it into a whole different story that is much more touching. Also, it's how Burgess originally wrote it and wanted it published. All in all though, a real horrorshow dystopian novel!… (more)

Although using it in a classroom may be controversial, there are many great, teachable things about this book. Alex is the leader of a gang in a future where gangs have society in the grips of fear. The novel takes us on a journey with Alex from degenerate, to a controlled beast, and finally to an upstanding citizen. It is a story of intense violence, betrayal, torture, and reformation, possibly an exaggerated reflection of many teens lives in today’s society. Burgess creates a dialect all his own that brings the reader into the ranks of Alex and his “droogs”. It is a great way to show that irreverence to language can be something beautifully crafted and scholarly.… (more)