Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, … literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.
Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.
When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.more
Unforgettable and truly a praiseworthy tale. I could see the Blade Runner landscape blended with the 50s language to make a future that seems a reach but yet very close to today. Hard to put down… harder to forget…
A classic of speculative fiction from a master. Outstanding.
This is my second reading of Fahrenheit 451. The 1st time I read it was in high school. My reading it this time was a bit scarier with what is going on currently in our society. The story starts with the main character, Guy Montag, who is a fireman. The job of the fireman in this time period is to “rid the world of books” by burning them. People in this society are not encouraged to think for themselves, have meaningful conversations or enjoy nature. The focus is on “being equal”, not thinking or questioning life “because gaining knowledge makes you unhappy and people will not be equal in their knowledge, which is highly discouraged. Guy starts talking to a girl he meets, Clarisse, who has conversations about the things that he feels are missing in his life. When a woman chooses to burn with her books he starts taking books to read and hiding them. His chief begins to suspect Guy of seeking out and keeping books when he doesn’t show up to work after the woman burning with her books. Guy starts to question his life and purpose more and more and has an increasing curiosity about reading. At one point, he reads poetry to his wife and some of her friends which causes chaos and he ends up on the run. While on the run, he is taken in by a group of scholars who has each memorized a chapter of text from a book so the knowledge can be passed on to future generations. A very thought provoking and disturbing book. I highly recommend this book!
This one of the 10 books my Dad told me to read.
Ever one should read this book!@
With today’s political climate what it is, and it seems BOTH sides of “the Aisle” have extremists that are trying to erase history, and tell us what we can and can’t read, watch or listen to, it is saddening, that this vision of the future hits closer to home than it ought to. It should be mandatory reading in schools.
Worth a reread if its been a few years. Bradbury’s 1953 classic tells of a world where firemen don’t put out fires they start them. In a society where all books are banned the penalty of being caught with one is the destruction by fire of the contraband and your home. Fireman Guy Montag meets a young girl and undergoes an awakening that starts him on a journey that will forever change him. The story has eerie modern parallels where fewer people read books and a majority of the population opts to spend more and more time plugged into electronic devices.
I had to read this classic in high school and again in college. Personally, I thought it was over-hyped by the school faculty.
If you can’tdraw the parallelsbetween Nazi Germany in the 1940’s and the Liberal media censorship of Conservative thought and speech this last decade, then you NEED to read this book. .
For me, this is a book that unlocked my writing. Bradbury has such a masterful way with words and mental images that it seems effortless (although I know writing never is). This book about “Firemen” and their job to keep books out of the hands of citizens is chilling, and quite a portend of our own times.
A classic for good reason. A tale of a dystopia world that is, unfortunately, not difficult to envision.
absolute favorite book of all time. a classic that anyone would enjoy. i love that this book is so old but can still be connected to problems happening today. definitely recommend. fair warning: if you have a light stomach, you might want to skip past a part or two.
It’s Bradbury
Step into a terrifying future Earth where ppl spend all day wrapped up in themselves and books are banned. At the time; it seemed “futuristic.” Now, it just seems normal.
(3.5 / 5)
I read this book as a sophomore in high school, 22 years ago. I remember it being one of the easier-to-read classics of my 3 years of Honors English. All I really remembered about it, though, is the basic premise of book burning, the parlor screens, and a vague creepy idea of the Mechanical Hound. After reading it again now, I’m actually surprised that I remember it as a “simple” read, due to the writing style and a plethora of metaphors, but it does probably make a difference when you’re pushed to analyze it after reading each third. I didn’t dissect it for symbolism and analyze every paragraph like I did other classics, though, and I still have the short papers I wrote for assignments about it. It was fun to read those again after reading the book.
As an adult, I see the book differently than I did back then. For one thing, I have come to realize that the book is not about the censorship involved in book burning. The fire captain makes it clear that society turned from books long before it became illegal to own them. Rather, the technology that led them to that point seems to be what is being demonized. I suppose it’s a call to make sure we don’t let it take over our lives.
Though to be honest, I think there’s a mixed message here, because despite the explanation the captain gives, it’s also clear that the government doesn’t want the people thinking for themselves. Wants them distracted while they’re about to go to war–why and with whom, we never know. And due again to the writing style, I am not sure I understand what happened at the very end regarding the war.
I would say a strong theme, which is perhaps more relevant today, is the control the government is able to exert over the people. If the majority of society decides it doesn’t care about books, then those people just don’t read books. Why does that have to lead to books becoming illegal? The government decides that it needs to regulate the people’s “fun” and oppose the potential of anyone offending anyone else at all, and apparently the people let it happen. Especially considering how recently Faber was a professor at a liberal arts school, it’s amazing how quickly it must have happened.
One thing that I was absolutely correct about in remembering this book was how creepy the Mechanical Hound is. I actually had some unpleasant dreams the night in between the two days it took me to read the book this week, and the Hound was a highlight. (I don’t have specific memories of the dreams, but a general understanding that they were related to the book.) It’s seriously disturbing.
In the end, for me, at least, this book doesn’t hold up as the classic it’s hailed as. It’s not a bad story, but I don’t know that it’s worth studying or holding up as a warning. Between this and Ender’s Game, maybe I’m just not a fan of classic sci-fi.
Must read Classic.
This is essential reading. The questions it raises are possibly more relevant now than when it was written.
Over rated
classic
a classic
Where my adage, “Books are our friends!” originated in my mind as a high schooler. This principle has resonated all throughout my life.
good book for 13+