Review: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (Audiobook)

This is another book that I read as a teen and wanted to revisit it once again. I don't recall whether I had seen the film or read the book first, but it doesn't matter as they are both great. For those who haven't seen the film, I will link the trailer below. I did not know at the time that the American version of this book was shortened due to the publisher opting to only publish the first 20 chapters. I did not know until now that the rest of the world got the book in its entirety.

For those not familiar with this book it is set in a world where crime rates are extremely high due to not enough police to patrol the streets at night. Meanwhile, gangs of teenagers run rampant fighting amongst themselves or terrorizing any civilians caught out.

The book is written in a sing-song cockney mashed with Slavic/Russian mix that just has a charming way once you start to read it. For some who may not understand all of the words, you will quickly pick up what each word means after a while. For those where English is not your first language, I would urge you if you can read English to read this in its original text, as I do not know how well this would be translated to any other tongues.

The story starts out by the reader meeting Alex (the narrator) who is the self-proclaimed leader of his little gang of "droogs". He is only 15 yrs. old and surprisingly fond of classical music when he is not participating in the "ultra-violence" with his brothers. We hear a typical night for this group of thugs, and how they do this for fun, and money.

Of course, the main idea or moral of the story should I say is whether it is right or justified to control someone's behavior. Is it okay to make someone a "good" citizen even if it goes against their free will?

The American version just ends and wraps up nicely in my opinion. The reader discovers the consequences of taking away someones choice to be "good". But the original text as the author had wanted the book to be has a final chapter about Alex growing bored with being a hoodlum and wanting to settle down. I know in the scheme of things it just makes sense that eventually a young man will grow tired of things and want to grow up. 

I still really enjoyed this and rated it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com. I feel that this is one of those books that every teen should read before they grow up. That is all I got for you. Below is a link to purchase a copy for yourself. I receive a small percentage of all sales. Thanx for reading, and take care.