A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

This was an interesting read. Thankfully I read the book before I watched the movie, because although the movie was semi awesome, the ending killed the final point the author made, which was that all of the stuff Alex did, the crimes n such, were a product of his youth. He did it because 'kids are crazy like that' but eventually they grow out of it. Now of course whether this statement was intended to be read literally or symbolically is debatable and I'm sure a couple of hours could be devoted to taking that apart, but as it stands, that point, which I would say is quite significant, was left out of the movie, which I found disappointing. 

The book was great though. The concept it explores is in the title itself -a clockwork orange. an orange that is not allowed to be as nature intended but is being forced to transform itself and act according to the dictates of others. It is being forced to act this way through a technological means, rather than societal influences, though I'm sure one could link social pressures to the situation. The orange of course would be Alex and the clockwork bit would be the treatment he was given to make violence repulsive to him. This treatment doesn't change the fact that he is inclined to commit violent acts, it just prevents him from doing so, taking away his free will. Great imagery, I enjoyed reading it.

It's also cool how the author creates his own language. This effectively encapsulates the terms created by youth and only understood by youth, without putting a time frame on the story by using actual slang from a certain time period.

Great story, definitely check it out.