Animal Farm, by George Orwell

This is a very witty, readable little fable that illustrates the historical pattern that often plays out before, during, and after revolutions that promise utopian results. Somehow human, or in this case, animal, nature gets in the way, and what often happens is that the new government displays the same vices as the old.  The moral of the story is that we don't live in the Garden of Eden anymore and it's futile to hope that those kinds of perfect conditions can be realized here on earth.  The only sensible attitude to take towards those who promise paradise is distrust.