I have read this book twice before, years ago. Back then, I absorbed it. I found myself yearning for a place like Pala. Now, years later, having grown into a man I have read it again a third time and my opinion has changed. Besides the style of writing, which can be annoying and pretentious at times, I found many of his ideas to be extremely simple-minded, almost cringy. I found the book to have many unnecessary dichotomies (e.g muscle men and peter pans) and ludicrous ideas (e.g. destiny control). Having said that, I still think Aldous Huxley has tried something in this book no one else has. To imagine a society in which every aspect of communal life (spiritual, familial, political, academic etc) is shaped to help each individual live a life of integrity, wellbeing and self-actualization. While I found myself having knee-jerk reactions to some of his ideas, others I found very interesting and thought-provoking. Even if his portrayal of a perfect society isn’t for me, it did force me to look at many aspects of our society with a critical eye. Aspects that are so fixed, they’re almost invisible. I just wish someone would write a similar book but acknowledge the complexity of life and the infinite variety of humans.