Anthem
1938
In a world that has abolished the word "I," Equality 7-2521 discovers the most dangerous concept humanity ever forgot: the self. Assigned a number instead of a name, forced into a collective where curiosity is sin and love is forbidden, he has spent his life hiding his forbidden thoughts, his taller frame, his burning need to understand. When he unearths a remnant of the pre-Collectivist world an electric light born from an ancient tunnel he must choose: hide his discovery and remain safe, or bring forbidden knowledge back to the men who would destroy him. But the true transgression is not theft of technology. It is the theft of himself. As Equality falls in love, thinks independently, and dares to name himself, he commits the only unforgivable crime: becoming an individual in a world that demands the crowd be one.
