Jeremy C Kester

Yesterday I reread something that I had only read in high school over 20 years ago. It was one of those books that we were “forced” to read as a part of the curriculum. Now unlike movies or TV shows, I had always been of the mindset that if I read a book once, that was enough. So what I “read” in High School was always off the table. Strange that as someone who loves to read as much as I claim would hold to that belief… until I changed my mind.

Recently, the idea of rereading stories has come into play. Like with anything, there’s always things missed in the first review of anything. What had I decided to reread first? Animal Farm by George Orwell.

As a child reading it, I knew that it was a good book. Several key elements of the story had always stuck with me, from the pigs’ deceptions to Boxer’s relentless efforts to work for the cause that only ended up bringing his demise. Even though it is not a long book, there was still much that I had forgotten.

I enjoyed rereading what is a scathing satire on soviet Russia, an entity that even feels like a ghost of a bygone era, even though it existed for longer than the first decade of my life. Even still, there were many lessons and truths about just about any political movement, and how there is always a small group more interested in securing themselves power, influence, and whatever else than to truly bring it to the masses.

There’s a few other books that I intent to reread as I go on. Many classics that I read in high school or middle school are among them. I was too dumb then (and likely still so) to appreciate what many of them really meant. Maybe now I can glean something more from their pages.