Dune And America Today

Dune is a remarkable series of books in every conceivable way and rightfully called one of the greatest science fiction novels ever; if you're a regular reader of my posts, you know how eager I am for the new movie adaptation to reach cinemas in December. But what's Dune got to do with the explosive situation we've seen developing in America over the past months and weeks?

In these times of almost non-existent attention spans caused by the soundbite media and clickbait headlines, as well as the demand for instant gratification through fast shipping and binge-watch delivery of complete seasons of TV series, courtesy of online streaming services, one would be forgiven to think that reading books and long format interviews will fast become a thing of the past. However, with all of us being confined to our homes we have time to kill; now's the perfect time to pick up a good book and lose ourselves in fictional worlds, or catch up on real histories of real people in the written word. I hope more and more people take that opportunity so they can rediscover the unique and absorbing quality of stories put to paper; as good as the film trilogy of The Lord Of The Rings was, it doesn't even come close to the experience of reading the books. And the same is true for Dune; no matter how good the film adaptation will be, it can't possibly match the scope, depth, character building and sheer grandeur of Frank Herbert's written story. So if you have the chance, I advice you all to read the books.

It seems that countless people had no need for my advice though; "Dune", the first book in the series that can be read as a self-contained story, has the number one spot on the Washington Post's Mass Market Bestseller list this week. It's available for only $10.99 by the way :-) Number two on that list is the first memoir of black political activist Maya Angelou, titled "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". Maya Angelou was respected as a spokesperson for black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture, and her works are widely used in schools and universities all over the world. The third book in that list is "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". Are we beginning to see a pattern here? Number four, "The Reckoning", is a John Grisham novel about a crime passionel in which a descendant of an American cotton-plantation family murders the wrong man; his wife and love of his life got an abortion because she thought he would never accept she got into a sexual relationship with another man, especially a black man. If the pattern still isn't clear, here's number five: "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, another science fiction masterpiece that centers on the consequences of government over-reach, totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of all persons and behaviors within society. More broadly, it examines the role of truth and facts within politics and their manipulation; this book is where the phrase "Big Brother's Watching You" originates.

In Dune it's the Fremen, Dune's indigenous population, who rise up against the suppressive leaders. In Nineteen Eighty-Four it's the protagonist Winston, an employee of the "Ministry Of Truth", who tries to rebel against the powers that be. The other books are all in some way related to a particularly suppressed part of the American population, who's suppression by means of the ever growing police state was the catalyst for the most recent protests. This top five in this moment in time reflects perfectly what the American people must feel right now. Recent social unrest and popular uprising is the release of being suppressed by untouchable men and women ranking in the highest regions of the socioeconomic order; the brutal on-camera murder of yet another innocent African American man released the valve to let out the pressure that's been building for decades now... The video is about some exiting news for all Dune fans as well, but if you just want the part that deals with what's in this post, skip to the 4:16 minute mark.

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