The BIG IDEAS Book Club

1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel published in 1949 that explores themes of totalitarianism, surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of truth. The story is set in a fictional future society called Oceania, where the government, led by the omnipresent figure Big Brother, exercises total control over every aspect of citizens' lives.

Main Plot:
The protagonist, Winston Smith, works at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to match the ever-changing party narrative. Despite outwardly conforming, Winston secretly despises the regime and dreams of rebellion. He begins a forbidden love affair with a woman named Julia, and together they attempt to resist the oppressive system.

Key Themes:

• Totalitarianism: The Party controls every aspect of life - including information, thoughts, language and truth. The Party rules by fear and conformity.
• Mass Surveillance: "Big Brother is watching you" symbolises constant government monitoring.
• Propaganda and Reality Control: Through concepts like doublethink and Newspeak, the Party reshapes truth and language to limit free thought.
• Manipulation Through Fear: The Party maintains control largely through fear - of war, of the enemy, of punishment.
• Divide and Conquer: The creation of “us vs. them” narratives fuels division and consolidates power.
• Loss of Individuality: The novel shows how oppressive regimes erase personal identity and autonomy.

1984 is a powerful warning about the dangers of unchecked political power and the erosion of truth and freedom.

Orwell didn’t write 1984 as a prediction, he wrote it as a warning. Its power lies in showing how societies can slowly give up freedom in exchange for security, certainty, or conformity.

What makes it chilling today is how many of those warnings feel familiar, even decades later.

Strap in for an electrifying take on the George Orwell classic – from the multi award winning creative minds at Shake and Stir.

You’ve probably heard it said: “People don’t really change.” But what if that’s wrong? What if you could train yourself to be, say, less anxious, more extroverted, more organized—and not with therapy, but through evidence-based strategies and habits that gradually shift your default patterns? Is our personality set in stone, or are we underestimating our power to transform? Let’s do a meetup to discuss.

Book: Me, But Better – The Science and Promise of Personality Change (2025) by Olga Khazan

Book (alternate): Be Who You Want – Unlocking the Science of Personality Change (2021) by Christian Jarrett

This month, we’re offering two book options tailored to different reading tastes—choose the one that suits you best.

If you enjoy engaging, personal narratives that blend memoir with research—think Eat, Pray, Love or Reasons Not to Worry—then Me, But Better by Olga Khazan may be the more appealing read. Khazan, a journalist, approaches the science of personality change by experimenting on herself, trying out methods for becoming more extroverted, agreeable, and emotionally stable. Along the way, she interviews psychologists and researchers, and reflects on her own experiences, offering a candid, sometimes humorous look at what it feels like to deliberately try to change who you are. The book is as much about the journey of self-discovery as it is about the science behind it.

For readers who prefer a more structured, research-driven exploration of personality science, Be Who You Want by psychologist Christian Jarrett provides a thorough and accessible overview. The book was the winner of the 2022 Book Prize from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. As with Khazan, Jarrett goes through the Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—and explains how they shape our lives and how they can, under the right conditions, be changed. Drawing on decades of psychological studies, the book debunks common myths about fixed personality and offers practical guidance for people looking to grow or shift their traits. It’s ideal for those who want an evidence-based roadmap to personality change without the distraction of a personal memoir.

As usual, you’re strongly encouraged to read the book. Unfortunately, the Jarrett book may be harder to get if you are not an eBook or audiobook person (so order it early; you could also check out the libraries). There are also some podcasts, presentations and other related resources linked below that you may wish to look at. Both books draw on the Big Five personality traits model, which has stronger empirical support than popular alternatives like Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram. I therefore encourage you to take a Big Five personality assessment, linked below, to explore where you fall on each dimension before we begin the meet up.

So, join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6.30pm Monday, 4th August on the 2nd floor (i.e. up two flights of stairs) at the Keg & Brew Hotel, Surrey Hills. The Keg & Brew is close to Central Station and the Light Rail.

We hope to see you there!

p.s. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to people if there is a waitlist.

p.p.s. Please adjust your email notifications (particularly for the Big Ideas Book Club settings in the main email notification settings page). This is useful for giving any final details or late changes to the event.

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These are just optional links to consider, particularly if you can't get either of the books. But even if you have read one of the books, they may be useful as supplements. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section.

Audio-Visual

• Interviews with Olga Khazan:

‘Mine’ is one of the first words babies learn, and by the time we grow up, the idea of ownership seems natural and obvious, whether we are buying a cup of coffee or a house. But what actually makes something yours or mine, and why do we believe it? If a drone flies into your backyard, do you own the airspace above—and have the right to shoot it down? When tech companies train AI models on the work of authors and artists without permission, is that innovation or theft? From indigenous land claims to disputes over genetic data, TikTok dance routines, or even a name like Kylie, our modern world is full of conflicts over who gets to claim what. These aren’t just legal squabbles—they're clashes between different stories we tell about who gets to own what. And behind those stories lie deeper questions about power, fairness, and who gets to decide the rules. Let’s meet up to explore these ideas.

Book: Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives (2021) by Michael Heller and James Salzman

In Mine!, legal scholar Michael Heller and environmental law expert James Salzman reveal the surprisingly flexible and contested nature of ownership. Far from being fixed or natural, ownership is a social construct built on just six basic stories—like “first come, first served” or “possession is nine-tenths of the law”—that shape how people, companies, and governments claim and defend what they think is theirs. Whether it's your neighbour’s tree hanging over your fence, passengers battling over seat recline versus leg room space, or Big Tech tracking your clicks, all these stories quietly shape the world around us.

By unpacking the hidden rules of ownership, Heller and Salzman help us see how ownership is not a predetermined fact but a socially constructed choice that opens up possibilities for reimagining ownership structures to better serve societal goals.

As usual, you’re strongly encouraged to read the book. Unfortunately, if you are not an eBook or audiobook person, this book may be harder to get. So order early from your favorite store or library if you want a paper copy. The authors themselves have also done some excellent short videos on each chapter and are linked below. Additional resources including a presentation and podcasts are also available that you may wish to explore.

So, join us for a drink (and optional meal) at 6.30pm Monday, 1st September on the 2nd floor (i.e. up two flights of stairs) at the Keg & Brew Hotel, Surrey Hills. The Keg & Brew is close to Central Station and the Light Rail.

We hope to see you there!

p.s. Please adjust your RSVP if you have indicated that you will come but are no longer able to do so. This is courteous to people if there is a waitlist.

p.p.s. Please adjust your email notifications settings (particularly the ‘Event updates from organizers’ in the Big Ideas Book Club settings). This is useful for giving any final details or late changes to the event.

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These are just optional links to consider, particularly if you have trouble accessing the book. Feel free to pass on other useful links in the discussion section.

Audio-visual

• An excellent collection of 2–3-minute videos on the key idea of each chapter, by the authors themselves: