Author: Ray Bradbury
Publication date: 1953
I remember the newspapers dying like huge moths. No one wanted them back. No one missed them.
The idea that Fahrenheit 451, a book about a time when all books are banned, would be banned is the very definition of ironic. Having read it, I'm not sure what was found objectionable about it though I have read stories that it was censored for language (use of the words "hell" and "damn" - gasp!).
Guy Montag is a fireman. At a time when homes have been fireproofed, Montag is sent out to burn books, which are banned and viewed as dangerous. Entertainment comes instead from television screens the size of a wall with the best experience affordable to those who have a wall-size screen on multiple walls in a room, a surround screen effect.
I found this novel hard to follow. It's a relatively short story (under 200 pages) but I found myself re-reading passages and, on more than one occasion, falling asleep while attempting to read. There were specific plot lines that confused me, "No wait, what just happened?" I joked with a friend that perhaps I simply cannot fathom a world without books and therefore was resistant to the story.
I love that the challenge has a banned book as a requirement. Banning books is so silly in this day and age. Why do people even bother? Read banned books. To learn more, go to ala.org.
P.S. Sorry for the clunky review.
Two stars
Next challenge: A book at the bottom of your to-read list
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