George Orwell '1984': Interest In Dystopian Novel Surges In Wake Of Trump Administration's 'Newspeak'

George Orwell's "1984" has been enjoying a rebirth since the inauguration of President Donald Trump and senior adviser Kellyanne Conway's use of the term "alternative facts." The 1949 novel is a dystopian view of British society when it's taken over by a totalitarian regime that uses "doublethink" and "newspeak" -- yes means no and no means yes -- to control the population. Conway, complaining on Jan. 22 about how Trump has been treated by the press, denied on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the administration was offering falsehoods when press secretary Sean Spicer insisted more people had witnessed the Trump inauguration than any other inauguration in history. Instead, she said, the administration was offering "alternative facts." The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday a "mysterious benefactor" bought 59 copies of the novel at Booksmith in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to be given away for free.