If you are going on a trip, and need to kill some time, the John Cleese performance of The Screwtape Letters is a real treat. You might actually find yourself enjoying an airport!
While many laud George Orwell for his gripping portrayals of totalitarianism in 1984 and Animal Farm, Huxley’s Brave New World might actually have more perfectly captured the direction of civilization.
One probable atheist, one convert. I don’t know how smart JFK actually was, but he was certainly not in the top two intellects that died 50 years ago.
Yes, I think it runs much deeper. 1984 is more situational, it doesn't really take you out of your contemporary mindset.
BNW, OTOH, is way out there. The whole "mother" thing is amazing, and like you say, prescient.