Had to get this book. It is such a cultural phenomenon but I don't think I ever read it. The idea that the forces that be want control of its citizens, that independent thought is forbidden, seems not so unreal. The most telling evidence of this in today's world is how our current president and his cronies disparage the free press and claim that it is "fake news" because they are so critical of him. The scarier part is that there are millions of Americans who support him, some of them my friends. They think we are brainwashed, we think the same of them. Don't know how to resolve this. Just hope that the truth reveals itself. 

Trying to read more in 2017. I cancelled my netflix and put the time I spent on Netflix (1-2 hours a day) into reading instead. I had this book, a Border's sale book, and packed it up to read. I have always liked William Blake and he is like a supporting actor in this story, which is more centered around a family who become his neighbors. My main impression of this book, though there are other aspects, is that William Blake was an artist who had politically leftist leanings. In the climax of the story, royalist zealots had been pressuring everyone in the town to sign a loyalty oath. The father of the family had refused, not for any political reasons, but that he didn't see the point. When the mob came to get Blake, the father instead spoke up to say he refuses, which diverted attention away from Blake. Blake's response to the turmoil of the time (parallel to the French revolution) was to be an artist.