Animal farm by George Orwell
by Maureen Kirchhoefer · first published 1991
39% recommend61% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short allegorical fable in which a revolution drifts into tyranny and propaganda replaces reality. It is a sharp, readable story with lessons for adults as well as children.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2021–2022Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2008–2026Night
Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2311 recommend · 23 mention11 recommend · 2311 recommend
2018–2025Mindhunter
John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2010–2026Mockingbird
Walter S. Tevis
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2022–2026I'm Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy, Jannettte Mcury
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 73 recommend · 7 mention3 recommend · 73 recommend
2012–2026Letter to a Christian Nation
Sam Harris
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 74 recommend · 7 mention4 recommend · 74 recommend
2008–2026Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Mary Shelley
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 115 recommend · 11 mention5 recommend · 115 recommend
2017–2026All Systems Red
Martha Wells
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 1613 recommend · 16 mention13 recommend · 1613 recommend
Animal farm by George Orwell: a revelation of the beginning and end of revolution and 'change'. Jewish wisdom for business success. Call of the wild by Jack London: it shows how possible it is to adapt in order to benefit maximally…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…book fwiw but every aspect of it is meant for the grown-ups. Outstanding! Luckily if you're in Australia, you can read this book for free because it is public domain there. [1] https://bubblin.io/cover/animal-farm-by-george-orwell (iPad-book) [2] http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100011.txt
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…gradually into tyranny. Though he uses just the word "marxism". http://www.c2cjournal.ca/2016/12/were-teaching-university-st... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04wyGK6k6HE Of course there's also the fable "Animal Farm" by George Orwell which masterfully describes the cycle of emancipation from tyranny to a new form of tyranny. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
on “The spreading of misinformation online (2015)” ↗…Kundera - first 3 books in the The Dark Tower series by Stephen King - The Dark Half by Stephen King - The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman - Coalescent by Stephen Baxter - 1984 by George Orwell - Animal Farm by George Orwell - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗1984, Animal farm by George Orwell God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert. They fit very good to present time.
on “Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?” ↗Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Animal Farm by George Orwell (a reread) Night by Elie Wiesel
on “Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?” ↗Animal Farm by George Orwell. It was a re-read. Here's an excerpt from my blog about my thoughts on the book - It is terrifyingly easy for propaganda to replace reality. Orwell shows this through Squealer, the pig who acts as the…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in the last year?” ↗Animal Farm by George Orwell Night by Elie Wiesel The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris Lying by Sam Harris The Road by Cormac McCarthy Cosmos…
on “Ask HN: Books Recommendations?” ↗1. Animal Farm by George Orwell 2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1] 3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley 4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy 5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris 6.…
on “Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?” ↗Animal Farm by George Orwell springs to mind.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite short and concise books?” ↗Hmm, I didn't catch all of them. Well, none, in fact, except the first: 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. What are the others?
on “How to write a successful blog post” ↗…their jobs done, that's not your problem. Trying to fix dysfunctional organization problems with "I will work harder" doesn't get you appreciated, it gets you a ticket to the glue factory. (Reference from Animal Farm by George Orwell.)
on “30 Days of Inbox Zero: How I Did it” ↗Anyone else read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you read this paragraph: “Employees of Alphabet and its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates should do the right thing—follow the law, act…
on “New Google Parent Company Drops ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Motto” ↗…Education published list of recommended books for middle & high school libraries. http://ncct.moe.edu.cn/uploadfile/2016/0518/2016051802153430... You can search for "9787547121290", which is the ISBN for Animal Farm by George Orwell.
on “The Social Credit System in China [video]” ↗1984 is obviously anti-totalitarian and definitely a manifesto for not giving government too much unbridled power. It was inspired, just like Animal Farm, by George Orwell's years spent in the spanish civil war, and the corruption of socialism, as he saw it, by stalinism. I don't see a basis for claiming it's anything but an anti-totalitarian novel, explaining totalitarianism…
on “Ashton Kutcher’s non-profit, Thorn, supports EU plans for CSAM scanning” ↗