The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau - This book surprised me. I think everyone has heard of "The Island of Dr. Moreau" whether it be from the book, the movie or just the concept or reference. I knew what the book was about before reading it but really had no idea how creepy and detailed the book would be. Looking at the history of it, I found out this was a banned book that most found “appalling” because of the subject matter. According to Wikipedia, “When the novel was written in 1896, there was much discussion in Europe about degeneration and animal vivisection. Interest groups were formed to address the issue: the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection was formed two years after the publication of the novel.” This just shows you how powerful this novel was back in that time period. What surprised me is how H.G. Wells came up with this advanced science, technology and psychology back then. He wasn’t just a writer but an inventor through his writing. He has a way of connecting with things that people don’t yet understand or can even wrap their minds around. I find his writing to be extremely thought provoking, and would have loved the chance to have read it back in its time period. Without giving too much away, I wanted to mention my connection with the main characters thoughts and feelings about humans after his experience. I related so well to his reactions at being back in civilization that I find myself questioning how human I am, or how human any of us are. Why do we feel aggravated by other people so easily? Is evolution connected to this or just a coincidence? I really connected with this book and enjoyed reading it quite a bit. I’m not sure if I’m in love with Wells or just his writing but I’d really like to use his time machine to travel back and meet him… and maybe swoon a bit. :)