1984 by George Orwell

Zero to Well-Read

Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2026

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is 1984 the most influential novel of the 20th century? Jeff and Rebecca go back to the future to explore the landmark dystopian novel that gave us Big Brother, doublethink, the memory hole, and 2 + 2 = 5. They dig into Orwell’s vision of totalitarian power, the relationship between language and thought, asking not just why 1984 endures, but what it actually gets right (and wrong) about how control works. Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content. Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read! Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's 1984 Day on Zero to Well Red, brought to you by Thriftbooks.com.
0:06.1	The standard edition right now for George Orwell's 1984 is the 75th anniversary edition
0:12.8	has some really good supplementary material.
0:14.9	Rebecca, even references in the show you're about to hear right now.
0:17.9	Also want to point your attention to a graphic novel version
0:20.9	illustrated by Fido Nasty. I was flipping through it the other day. You can also find that
0:24.9	on Thriftbooks.com. Really visually striking. And the world of 1984 is so arresting and so
0:31.8	visual and so memorable that really does lend itself to an illustrated version. I'm not always a fan
0:37.3	of these. You know, do what you want, but this one seems particularly cool.
0:40.8	You can find that and a whole bunch of other editions of 1984 plus 19 million other titles, new, used, games, movies, whatever you want there on thriftbooks.com.
0:51.3	Thanks to them for sponsoring this episode and this season of Zero to Well Red.
0:54.9	All right, time to get into it.
0:57.6	300 years of expertise
0:59.5	in every twining sleep blend.
1:03.4	100 hours of craft in every cup.
1:07.3	Eight natural ingredients in every sip.
1:11.2	One night of winding down in every drop.
1:15.2	Your moment of serenity.
1:18.0	Brought to you by twining sleep.
1:20.9	Twinings.
1:22.3	Alive in every drop.
1:31.3	Welcome. every drop. Welcome to Zero to Well Read, a podcast about everything you need to know about the books you wish you read.
	...

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