Type: Book
Title: Fahrenheit 451
Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 165
Publisher: Ballatine Books
(1st) Release Date: August 12 (My dad's b-day!), 1987
Geared Towards: Adults
Summary (From Amazon): In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Fire Captain Beatty explains it this way, "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs.... Don't give them slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."
Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature.
Wdebo's Review: So, I remember trying to start Fahrenheit 451 in seventh grade but I couldn't, I guess I was "intellectually too young" as my chemistry teacher would call it. I couldn't grasp this strong idea that was hanging in the book, I'm sure many of you are probobly thinking, oh, she must be really dumb if she doesn't understand it at all, I read it in sixth grade and was perfectly fine with it. But there was just a deep sense in this book that I just couldn't understand as a seventh grader.
The main point is about well, book burning and the idea of censorship. But there was an idea, a lesson in every little twist and turn of the book, are rebels really "bad" or are they just seeing our society as something that we, the normal conformists just can't grasp.
Now, for the real review, at first, I only started it because one of my guy friends was talking about all these books, and I felt horribly stupid because I hadn't read like a single one, so I decided to read more classic books! At first, Fahrenheit 451 seemed kinda boring and hard to get into, but after a few more pagest it got very good, then boring again and then good...a total roller coaster ride...but overall, it was satisfactory.
Except I thought the Afterword was more interesting then the whole book, haha, but Ray Bradbury did bring up some very good points.
Cafe Cover Chat: Ugh, I don't like this book cover at all, not good. (C)
All in all, a good classic story, and will be enjoyed and thought over by many.
Grade: B+
Wdebo :)
That's neat! I'm reading it in tenth, well about to read it...
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I've read it so many times. I've actually seen Ray Bradbury speak a few times and my copy of Fahrenheit 451 is actually signed. : )
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that is so lucky! I would love to hear him speak!!
ReplyDelete