Customer Reviews

This Perfect Day

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This underrated cult classic tells us of a future where there is no "selfishness, aggressiveness, or greed" Each is given what he needs, each gives all he can. And all this is enforced by monthly injections or "treatments", and administered by a worldwide computer called Uni.

Our hero, Chip, is born into this culture. But in childhood, he is influenced by his strange (by their standards) grandfather, who dies at at about the same age that everyone seems to, and as an adult, comes under the influence of a group of mild rebels. But Chip seeks more. And exactly why does a map in a historical museum show islands not shown on current world maps?

A fine book, which grapples with the questions of life, liberty, and self-will, and leaves you to find your own answer at the end. Highly recommended.

At age 58 I cannot remember when I first read this book. It's not that I am losing my mind, but it was that long ago. I have haunted used book stores, flea markets and online, and have bought several hard backs and soft backs so that I am not without a copy of this book (Does this ring of the movie "Conspiracy Theory and the Catcher in the Rye"). I also shared this book with my daughter who is not as much a reader as I am and she loved it too. I cannot understand why this book has not been brought back into print, used as mandatory reading in school and also perhaps made into a movie. Ira Levin has had other books made into movies. I am not going review the story but is there anyone out there who wants it not to end when it does? I have read this book once a year for years and like a small child, keep thinking something will click and I will see whether life on the Island will improve once Chip returns...how will the untreated survive... Also I think that Chip and others due to small differences than the norm are more liable to rebel and this is what the powers that be (Programers, is that what they call themselves...hmmm) were watching for.

As a child I was a science fiction freak and I still love it if I can find a good futuristic society book such as "Beggers In Spain" and now I am a Stephen King/horror/mystery freak. But what can I say, ask me what my favorite book is and it will always be, THIS PERFECT DAY!!!

How can this book possibly be out of print?

For anyone who hasn't read it yet: it belongs alongside _A Clockwork Orange_ among the great literary portrayals of individualism-vs.-collectivism. (I've never been much of a fan of either _1984_ or _Brave New World_, which are usually listed as the top two. And Ayn Rand's annoying novella _Anthem_ is just . . . well, annoying.)

It is the tale of a lad named Chip, in a future world in which the great socialist dream has finally been realized. Preferring one person to another is a sign of social maladjustment. "Fight" is a dirty word; "f**k" is just the usual term for an activity no more important than sleeping or urination. Everyone is told what to do by "Uni," the great computer that organizes society and keeps track of everyone's location via electronic bracelet. (And one of the dirtiest, most maladjusted and antisocial expressions anyone can utter is "Fight Uni.")

There is, in short, no more "juice": all the oranges are clockwork now. Until . . . ah, but that would spoil things, wouldn't it?

So ATLAS SHRUGGED is still chugging along on the best-seller lists, turning unwitting victims into narcissistic misunderstood geniuses -- but this brilliant novel is out of print. What's wrong with this picture?

I'm sure glad I still have my old hardcover copy.

From the first time I read this book in 1974 as an 8th grader, this Utopian type society seemed so far away & unrealistic. Now at 45, I fear it is getting closer. Members getting "treatments"? Think Prozac. People that are compliant, pleasant & "speak no evil"? Think political correctness gone mad. Smoking forbidden? Even closer. Reproduction being controlled with no choice? Sounds like George W. at work here. Hmm... how will the world be when I am 75?

This book should be required reading for High School Literature classes across the country, to open up discussions of personal rights, creativity, freedom & socialism. Think of the ways Levin's masterpiece could be applied to show kids just what "sheep" they are becoming!

I find as I get older & read this book over again, there are more important lessons about individuality, following the crowd & what we expect from ourselves & others as a society. What kind of world stifles creativity & self-expression for the sake of "harmony"? Consider me & my teenagers incurable.

~Cyndi~

I have a trio of excellent dystopian books which can never stay on my bookshelf very long. They are the eugenic dystopia of /Brave New World/, the psychological dystopia of /1984/, and the technological dystopia of /This Perfect Day/.

Why, I wonder, is the final one of these out-of-print and forgotten, unlike its two companions? It can't be the sex scenes, because all three books have them. It can't be the writing style, because /This Perfect Day/ is at least on par with /Brave New World/ (although nowhere near Orwell's perfection). It must simply be the fact that the idea had already been done twice before, which is a shame.

Ira Levin puts a great new spin on the already defined genre; exactly three times I thought the book was finished, only to turn the page and find that the adventure continues on. Unlike the brutal justice of the other two, /This Perfect Day/ comes up with a logical, humane, and easier solution to discard the aberrant members of its society.

This book deserves more publicity, and one day it might get it. Buy it now while it's still cheap.

I found this book in a box at a used book shop while travelling. It is so engrossing, so completely perfect at creating its world...I was shocked. I've never read Levin before.
If you want an incredible SF read with more than a hint of social commentary and a plot that is pure page-turning power...get this book.

I first read "Logan's Run" when I was 14, and I loved it; I first read "This Perfect Day" when I was 34, and I adored it. The two are often compared, probably because they were both seen as symptomatic of their time (the late 1960s), but whereas Logan was always destined to outrun his persuers, it was never clear until the very last page of TPD whether Chip would succeed or not. The suspense is impeccable, as is the reasoning (particularly the image of the leaf on the rock...); buy this book now! Demand it be brought back into print, and filmed as well (it worked for Anne Rice). "Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei led us to this perfect day...", and I still have nightmares about it now. Fight Uni!

I could go on and on about this book. It ranks as one of my all time favorites. I reccommend it to anyone and everyone. Everyday as I put my ID badge into the scanner at work and wait for it to blink green or red, I think about this book. Everytime I plug mylaptop into the internet, I think about this book. Everytime a surly clerk demands my Social Security number "Because it is easier for the computer", I think about this book.

"This Perfect Day" is one of my all time favorite science fiction stories -- it's a shame it seems to be out of print.

The book is about a world where everyone is genetically engineered to be as similar as possible, the "global village" has been realized in its entirety, and the world is run by computer. People get "treatments" regularly (injected medications) designed to even their moods and make them conform to societal norms.

In a world where we drug our kids for "ADHD" and political correctness and sameness are celebrated, this story remains very prophetic indeed. Levin doesn't make a single misstep here. It's utterly terrifying, because this is the way the world is headed. If you can find the book, please get it and read it.

P.S. at least one review claims the book is about "the great socialist dream" or a socialist society. In my opinion this is unfair, as the society portrayed in this story is far to the left of socialism -- really, it's communism/marxism being portrayed here.

Thank goodness this book is available again. If it wasn't, then there would be something really wrong going on here. For fans of negative utopia novels such as Orwell's 1984 and Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, This Perfect Day is not to be missed as it compares favorably to both works (it exceeds them, in my humble opinion). Although Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil and, I think, even Needle were made into movies, this is Levin's most brilliant novel and one of the most perfectly crafted stories ever written. Some of the other reviewers have said the book should be made into a movie; I disagree. This is a story about subtle ideas and the action is somewhat sedate. I doubt it would be popular with the proletariat. Not all great stories translate to the screen.

Having said that, this book is fiction entertainment at its best. The story is compelling without being preachy and deep without being boring. Though published in 1970, it still accurately holds a mirror to the society we are today and juxtaposes it against Levin's future society of the supercomputer. Find out how Chip Green-Eye finds his destiny in a world where computerization + chemotherapy = no change. Fight Uni!