by Ray Bradbury
“Fahrenheit 451” is a novel set in a future where books are banned and “firemen” burn any that are found. The story follows Guy Montag, a fireman who becomes disillusioned with his society’s constant consumption of media. As he encounters people who challenge his beliefs and discovers the power of literature, Montag begins to question the world he lives in.
I enjoyed this book for three reasons:
The book was written in 1953 but has a great degree of accuracy about our current day. At one point in the book, the Montag describes his wife putting these shells in her ears that played music or provided stories and she would keep them in her ears constantly. They sound just like earbuds. The novel describes a future where people can be entertained with all kinds of diversions, indoors and outdoors. Yet, these purposeless lives lead to higher suicide and depression. Again, sounds like today.
Second, there’s a section in the book where the fire chief eloquently pontificates the reasons for burning books. It’s not the books themselves, but it’s the higher-level thinking that books stimulate that is the problem. Higher level thinking leads to inequality and inequality leads to unrest. So, the goal in destroying all the books is to promote an uninspired existence reliant on never-ending extrinsic stimulus. “Equality” in a sense but at the lowest level- uniform mediocrity. I like that the book challenges the popular idea that everyone being equal leads to nirvana when in fact, it kills our very souls. We are designed to strive and struggle to do more, be more. Not everyone accepts that challenge but it must be a choice, not a mandate.
The third reason why I love the book is it really shows the talent of an accomplished author. Ray Bradbury uses new and unique approaches to describe settings and emotions but they resonate deeply with the reader. His mastery of the sentence truly sets him apart from the average novelist and reminds you that not only is he a storyteller, but a scholar of the English language.
There are 1966 and 2018 movie versions of the book. I recall seeing the 1966 version but I didn’t think much of it at the time, I was young and not known for deep thought. It is described as being true to the book. The 2018 version strays significantly, I doubt I’ll ever watch it.
Read or listen to the book to get the full depth of Bradbury’s wisdom. If you watch the movie, you will realize that passively watching is exactly what you should not be doing.
Thought-provoking, insightful, deep, reproving, realistic sci-fi, retro, fun way to be enlightened
Book: paperback, 176 pages
Audiobook: 5 hours 1 minute
Movie (1966 Version): 1 hour 52 minutes
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