Books 2025: Revisiting Animal Farm 80 Years Later

Book: Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Reviewed by: Gene Kansas, cultural developer at Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate and author of Civil Sights

After more than two decades since my first reading and 80 years since its publication in 1945 England, I recently picked up George Orwell‘s Animal Farm again. The anthropomorphic allegory jumped, kicked and squealed to life, providing me with a surprising sense of relief. Not much has changed over the years, and my appreciation for the writing and the absurdity of totalitarian demagoguery remains unchanged. The salvation in the prose comes from a shared understanding with my grandparents’ generation about the significance of democracy and the dangers of power consolidation.

Interestingly, the U.S. and nations beyond are facing similar challenges once more. In this country we are grappling with tariffs, exceedingly high inflation, fear-driven strife, an attempted rewriting of history, and the urgent need to collaborate with free and open markets to foster bonds rather than resorting to blockades. While the path ahead may seem daunting, Orwell’s satirical comic relief and lessons from the past found within the pages of this classic novella offer valuable insights. We’ve been here before.

In essence, Animal Farm is not just a captivating read; it serves as a powerful tool for reflection and inspiration, encouraging us to look back and move forward with a critical eye for who is in charge and renewed purpose to make a positive difference. I’d absolutely recommend it—it’s strong, apropos, and won’t take long to breeze through thanks to Orwell’s exceptional writing. All that, plus it’s a whole lot of laughs.

Editor’s notes: Global Atlanta will receive a 10 percent commission on any purchase of this book through the links on this page. 

Each year, Global Atlanta asks influential readers and community leaders to review the most impactful book they read during the course of the year. This endeavor has continued annually since 2010.

See last year’s full list of books on BookShop here and see Global Atlanta’s full store, featuring Reader Picks lists going back to 2013 along with lists of books we’ve covered through stories or author talks.

All books were chosen and reviews written independently, with only mild editing from our staff.