Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

About:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a 1953 dystopian novel in which books have been outlawed and are routinely destroyed by “fireman”.  Mr. Bradbury is one of the foremost science-fiction authors of the 20^th Century.

• 249 pages
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781451673319

My rating for Fahrenheit 451 – 5
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Thoughts:

After finishing Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and thinking about it a bit, I was surprised to find out how relevant this book is, almost 70 years after it was written.

The book was written when the “Red Scare” was prominent, the Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was ruining the lives of American citizens, and the populace was quickly transitioning from radio and books to the glory of television. In the book, “family” is a wall showing TV talk shows, which takes precedence over almost anything else.

These days, social media is “family”, and cell phones are addictive. Critical thinking is abandoned by talking heads with an agenda, propaganda, or stranger commenting on the Internet telling people what to think. Our focus and thoughts have been stolen by technology, instead of television and radio, but the nuance is still there.

The book, by itself, is not a great piece of literature. It’s flat, characters are not fully developed, lots of hyperbole takes over the narrative. However, like many other great stories it has a lot to say in between the lines as a cautionary tale which is still applicable.

The book reminds of that what we take for granted is valuable. Whether it be the physical books, or more importantly the ideas in them. The book raises important questions about the present (1950s or 2020s) and what alternatives we have. Ray Bradbury doesn’t try to predict the future, it extends a troubled aspect allowing us to see it from a different perspective.

The world in which Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 thankfully doesn’t exist, but we can apply the book’s warning today. Much like Brave New World, the story might be boring to a teenager, but becomes more interesting, and totally different as you grew older.

Synopsis:

Guy Montag is a fireman, a job which entails burning outlawed books, as well as the houses they are hidden in.  He meets a new neighbor, a teenager named Clarisse McClelan, who opens his mind to new ideas. Guy returns home to find his wife, Mildred, has overdosed on sleeping pills. Between Clarisse’s happiness with simple pleasures, Mildred’s near-death experience, and the illiterate society, Guy starts questioning his own life and whatever he calls “happiness”.

Guy tries to engage his wife and her friends with intellectual conversation by reading a poem. Instead, they turn him in and his own department comes to burn down his house. He escapes, becomes a nomad and meets up with former intellectuals who each memorized books, embracing literature and culture.

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More Books by Ray Bradbury*

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I borrowed this book from the Little Free Library
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