海角换妻

海角换妻 historian and Professor of History Laura Beers is among the finalists for the for (WW Norton). The book, also named one of The New Yorker鈥檚 Best Books of 2024, was inspired by her teaching at 海角换妻. 听

Beers is among the 61 nominees across more than a dozen categories honoring literary achievement. The awards ceremony will take place on April 25 at the University of Southern California (USC), ahead of the 30th Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. 听

Beers credits students in her West in Crisis 1900-1945 Core Curriculum class for sparking the idea for the book. Her students read seven books by Orwell, ranging from his first novel Burmese Days through his final work Nineteen Eighty-Four and drew connections between the past and present in the class. 鈥淐ensorship, surveillance, and racial, gender and class prejudice were all central themes of Orwell鈥檚 work that remain pertinent to our modern era,鈥� Beers says. 鈥淚t made me think about how we can use Orwell to make sense of twenty-first-century movements. The book grew from there.鈥�

More Relevant Than Ever

Orwell鈥檚 Ghosts was published last year, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Nineteen Eighty-Four. It鈥檚 described as an exploration of Orwell鈥檚 ideas about social injustice and political deception鈥攁nd why they are still critical today. In the book, Beers considers Orwell鈥檚 full body of work to examine what 鈥淥rwellian鈥� truly means. She explores how Orwell鈥檚 writings on free speech address the proliferation of misinformation and the emergence of cancel culture, highlights his critiques of capitalism and the oppressive nature of the British Empire, and, in contrast, analyzes his failure to understand feminism.

The book has garnered high praise. In a review by , Beers is praised for producing "a sleek, efficient, and powerful argument" that brings Orwell's thinking into the 21st century, acknowledging both his significant contributions and notable flaws. 听

calls the book 鈥渁 critical assessment of the contribution that George Orwell鈥檚 writings can make to contemporary social, economic, and political problems,鈥� and "a determined attempt to rescue Orwell from the clutches of right-wing pundits and others who misconstrue his messages.鈥� hails the book as 鈥渁 succinct, wide-ranging work鈥oncluding with a reminder to those on the political left that they can only achieve their aims 鈥榯hrough common endeavor鈥� with others.鈥�

Orwell's Ghosts is Beers鈥檚 third well-received book. Red Ellen received the Stansky Award, and Beers鈥檚 writing has appeared in the New Republic and Washington Post, among other publications, and on CNN.com.

So, What Would Orwell Think?

Today, Orwell鈥檚 work feels more relevant than ever, with references to Nineteen Eighty-Four and 鈥淥rwellian鈥� appearing everywhere, Beers says. Politicians and commentators across the ideological spectrum invoke his name to support their arguments, often in conflicting ways.

In her West in Crisis class, Beers challenged students to consider how Orwell might interpret today鈥檚 political landscape鈥攅xamining issues like capitalism, imperialism, rising inequality, free speech, fake news, and cancel culture. 鈥淲hat would Orwell think?鈥� she asked. She notes that the political right frequently cites Orwell to argue against censorship, as in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, where a baker refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, claiming that doing so would violate his right to free speech and religious freedom鈥攁n argument some described as 鈥淥rwellian.鈥�

But is this the true meaning of Orwellian? Beers emphasizes that Orwell鈥檚 philosophy was rooted in two key principles: free speech and truth in speech. "In class, we discussed how Orwell was a staunch advocate for free expression, but he also believed in truth in speech,鈥� she explains. 鈥淔amously, in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell defines freedom as the freedom to say that 2+2=4鈥攏ot the freedom to say that 2+2=5. This tension鈥攂etween the right to speak freely and the responsibility to uphold truth鈥攔emains central to debates today."

A Blueprint for Action in Troubled Times

Beers's West in Crisis course inspired undergraduate student Francine Worsoff to fully immerse herself in Orwell鈥檚 works. She read 1984, Animal Farm, Homage to Catalonia, Politics and the English Language, Burmese Days, The Road to Wigan Pier, Coming Up for Air, and The Lion and the Unicorn鈥攁long with Orwell鈥檚 Ghosts.

Looking at Orwell鈥檚 works as a whole reshaped Worsoff鈥檚 understanding of his literature, giving her a deeper, more thoughtful analysis of the often-overlooked themes running beneath his most celebrated works, she says. She explains that Orwell鈥檚 Ghosts is especially relevant today, urging readers to take a more holistic approach to literary excellence鈥攐ne that acknowledges both the obvious and the understated elements of a writer鈥檚 work. 听

Graduate student Saneet Chakradeo also emphasizes the book鈥檚 contemporary significance. 鈥�Orwell's Ghosts brilliantly describes parallels between Orwell鈥檚 time and today. The most important parallel is that while right-wing politics may use pro-free speech arguments to make their points, Orwell鈥檚 writings were clear on the need to counter these faux narratives and their use in promoting authoritarianism,鈥� he explains. 听

Chakradeo read the book in Historians鈥� Craft, a first-year MA course in historiography and methods, as an example of a scholarly work written for a non-academic, general audience. He adds that Orwell鈥檚 Ghosts offers a sense of hope in today鈥檚 turbulent times, offering hope and serving as a guide for meaningful change. 鈥淥rwell鈥檚 democratic socialism can be seen as a clear blueprint for action in these troubled times. As more people get exposed to Orwellian terms and concepts, reading the book can help them with cutting out the propaganda from reality.鈥�