Banned Book Club: "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess
A novel challenged for its moral ambiguity, it follows a teenage delinquent in a near-future dystopia whose free will is put to the test.
The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn, dedicated to reading and protecting the most important and threatened books for our generation.
This month, we’re reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess — a shocking, stylized novel set in a near-future dystopia. Narrated by the charismatic and chilling Alex, a teenage delinquent steeped in violence and rebellion, the book immerses readers in a world where language, power, and choice collide, raising unsettling questions about morality, punishment, and what it means to be truly human.
The novel has been widely challenged and banned for its graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault, as well as its provocative treatment of free will and state control. Its invented slang and disorienting perspective place readers uncomfortably close to its protagonist, forcing us to confront not only his actions, but the systems that seek to “correct” him.
Disturbing, inventive, and philosophically rich, A Clockwork Orange endures as a deeply unsettling exploration of whether goodness has any meaning when it is no longer a choice—reminding us why the most difficult books are often the most necessary to read.
We will meet in person in the loft at our store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $15.95, which includes a copy of A Clockwork Orange to be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.
Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) was a novelist, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. He is best known for his novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), but altogether he wrote thirty-three novels, twenty-five works of non-fiction, two volumes of autobiography, three symphonies, more than 250 other musical works, and thousands of essays, articles and reviews.
Burgess was born in Manchester, England and grew up in Harpurhey and Moss Side. He was educated at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He lived in Malaya, Malta, Monaco, Italy and the United States, among other places. His books are still widely read all over the world.
ABOUT BOOK BANS:
Books are under profound attack in the United States. PEN America's latest report, Banned in the USA: The Normalization of Book Banning, found that 6,870 books bans were enacted during the 2024-25 school year, across 23 states and 87 public school districts. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it.
Check out some frequently asked questions about book banning: https://pen.org/book-bans/book-bans-frequently-asked-questions/
A novel challenged for its moral ambiguity, it follows a teenage delinquent in a near-future dystopia whose free will is put to the test.
The Banned Book Club is led by Bryn, dedicated to reading and protecting the most important and threatened books for our generation.
This month, we’re reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess — a shocking, stylized novel set in a near-future dystopia. Narrated by the charismatic and chilling Alex, a teenage delinquent steeped in violence and rebellion, the book immerses readers in a world where language, power, and choice collide, raising unsettling questions about morality, punishment, and what it means to be truly human.
The novel has been widely challenged and banned for its graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault, as well as its provocative treatment of free will and state control. Its invented slang and disorienting perspective place readers uncomfortably close to its protagonist, forcing us to confront not only his actions, but the systems that seek to “correct” him.
Disturbing, inventive, and philosophically rich, A Clockwork Orange endures as a deeply unsettling exploration of whether goodness has any meaning when it is no longer a choice—reminding us why the most difficult books are often the most necessary to read.
We will meet in person in the loft at our store at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $15.95, which includes a copy of A Clockwork Orange to be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.
Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) was a novelist, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. He is best known for his novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), but altogether he wrote thirty-three novels, twenty-five works of non-fiction, two volumes of autobiography, three symphonies, more than 250 other musical works, and thousands of essays, articles and reviews.
Burgess was born in Manchester, England and grew up in Harpurhey and Moss Side. He was educated at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He lived in Malaya, Malta, Monaco, Italy and the United States, among other places. His books are still widely read all over the world.
ABOUT BOOK BANS:
Books are under profound attack in the United States. PEN America's latest report, Banned in the USA: The Normalization of Book Banning, found that 6,870 books bans were enacted during the 2024-25 school year, across 23 states and 87 public school districts. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it.
Check out some frequently asked questions about book banning: https://pen.org/book-bans/book-bans-frequently-asked-questions/
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Highlights
- 1 hour
- In person
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Bookstore1Sarasota
117 S. Pineapple Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34236
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