A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

In this dystopian satire, a young gang leader, Alex, after being sent to prison, experiences a horrific attempt to change him into a better person. The author's linguistics background shows in the "nadsat" slang, based partially on Russian. It's confusing at first, but as you adjust to the slang, it really draws you into the terrible mind of "your humble narrator". Older american publications omit the final chapter, so make sure you have all 21 chapters! --Ryan O., alumnus