Feels Like a Real-Life Thriller
In a futuristic society when firefighters don’t put out fires anymore. Their job now it to create fires. When an alarm is called in, firemen gear up as they use to and speed to the scene, a house with forbidden books in it. All the books are gathered up and hosed down with not water, but kerosene, then set a blaze. Montag is one of those firemen.
This is a time when in most homes, the walls in the living room aren’t walls, their giant screen televisions. The shows on mostly comprise of nonsensical bickering, for entertainment. People are not concerned about any issues, except forbidden books. Ignorance is bliss.
When Montag meets Clarrise, a 17-year-old girl, at first she annoys him. She likes to ask a lot of questions and notices things that most people just don’t notice or even care about. However, as he gets to know her better, he starts to question things himself. A question that he has is a very dangerous question: why are books so dangerous that we have to burn them? What’s in them? As he pursues this question, he gets in trouble.
This book was first published in 1951. I found this it quite frightening because there are some countries that seemed to have arrived to this in our world, and others seem to be heading towards it. In the West, people turn on their televisions and watch sitcoms much more then crack open a book. When most people ask me what I like to watch on TV, I respond that I only watch a couple things, mostly on PBS. I mostly read books, they look at me like am strange and proceed to name off all the shows that they watch.
4/5
Also Reviewed By:
Susan at You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Tanabata at In Spring it is the Dawn
If you’ve reviewed this book, please leave a link in the comments.
I get those same looks! When I get asked that question, I answer, “If the Timberwolves aren’t playing, I’m reading a book.” Considering that the Timberwolves haven’t been such a good team lately, they *really* don’t understand that answer! 🙂
I, too, thought this was a really good book.
I hope you had a great weekend!
Lezlie
Great review! Here’s mine:
http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/2008/05/fahrenheit-451-review.html
That’s so funny Lezlie! I’m glad I’m not the only one!
I will add your review right now Chris. Thanks!
It is frightening, isn’t it? But that’s part of this power. It’s a great book. Thanks for linking to my review, I will link to yours as well when I finally get the business of editing my old posts organized.
Thanks Nymeth!
HI Teddy – Here is my link to my review: http://susanflynn.blogspot.com/2008/05/fahrenheit-451-by-ray-bradbury.html
I didn’t realize so many of us were reading this at the same time! I think it’s one of those rare books that will continue to be evocative no matter how much time passes. It is really interesting that we all thought it was a really good book to read. By the way, I cheated and got your link from Chris at Book-a-rama’s site to add to my blog. I like your comments on linking books read to posts, and your blog in general.
PS amen to the less tv watching – we make fun of people who watch reality tv, in our household! In have to confess to having a weakness for sci-fi and mysteries, though, on tv! Especially from Britain….I agree wholeheartedly with your comment that some countries are approaching the feeling in Fahrenheit 451 towards society (that it shouldn’t be free-thinking) and the sense of menace that constantly being at war brings.
I read this at the beginning of last year. My review is very short but here’s the link if you care to add it.
It’s certainly still very relevant and there are some scenes that have stayed with me. I just wish it had been fleshed out a bit more I guess.
Susan, thanks for the link! I actually read it with my Classics book club and so did Chris over at book-a-rama. Thanks for the flattering comments, blushing..
Tanabata, Thanks for the link. I can see where you would have liked the book to be more fleshed out.
Here from the “Herding Cats” reading challenge; I’m one of the people who recommended this book. =) Good review!
I like your comment about television in there. Have you read Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Pedestrian”? That is more focused on TV and is eerie in that our society really is headed the way of TV-induced comas (for lack of a better phrase).
V,
No, I haven’t read “The Pedestrian” yet but I just added it to my TBR. Thanks for the suggestion. When I was a teenager, I read “The Illustrated Man”. I don’t remember much about it now, except that I really enjoyed it. I added that to my TBR as well.
There was a question on Jeopardy last week about this book, and it’s a classic I’ve never read. Need to read it soon.