Animal Farm

The basis and concept of Animal Farm have been reduplicated and pondered over so much at this point that the entire plot was extremely predictable. However, it still expresses it and makes you think in a way that is very profound, and I think with the context of the surface-level message (how social movements, especially Marxist ones, devolve) you're able to see some of the deeper analogies like the types of working class people that Boxer, the rats, Benjamin, etc. represent and how that informs one's ideology. That's what makes it a classic, and a must-read for anyone anywhere.

This is one of the best political satire books I’ve read, though I’m not sure if the fact that it still stands up today is a mark of Orwell’s prescience or that politicians haven’t changed that much. It’s far less depressing than 1984, and the use of animals allows Orwell to make his points without explicitly saying who he is thinking of, and the reader can insert their own guesses for each one as desired. This, together with Yes Minister, should be required reading/watching before you vote for the first time, to instil the appropriate level of cynicism.