(CNN) Watching me read "1984," arguably the greatest dystopian novel ever written, in high school, my mother told me that it was a book that everyone should read not just once, but again, every 10 years. Indeed, dozens of news stories this week have alerted us to surging sales of George Orwell's "1984" since the inauguration and even more so in the wake of Kellyanne Conway's now-infamous "alternative facts" gambit. As the protagonist of "1984," Winston Smith, was warned:"Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. What is truly terrifying is that President Trump and his people refuse to recognize the contradictory nature of their positions, which is the condition perfectly described in "1984" as doublethink. We saw this firsthand when President Trump addressed staff members at the CIA.
