Animal Farm

How can you write political satire that can be hard-hitting even when not very direct? You piggy back (pun intended) upon allegory. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a satire on Soviet Russia (under Stalin, I guess) drawing upon animals from a barn.

The animals in a barn rise in revolt against mistreatment by human owners. The owners flee and the pigs take it upon themselves to organize the barn and set the regulations to ensure it's smooth working. The animals pour the heart and sweat into building the ideal barn based upon socialist principles of equity. Over a period of time, some animals realise they are worse off than before and the rules of the barn seem to be changing to favour the 'new' rulers who claim to be sacrificing their lives for the revolution.

Do the animals revolt again or do they curse their fate and carry on with the status quo? Read this short book to learn the answer.