Let's talk: Fahrenheit 451

[jjmainor]

I have to admit I was also bored with it. As I just posted in another thread, for me, the theme was not about the censorship, but a boredom or disenchantment with work. The firemen weren't just burning books, but burning people's homes, and in some cases, the people themselves. To me, he wasn't so interested in the books themselves, but rather he took to this notion that the books were somehow important because people were willing to die for them; that he was so sick of his job, that stealing the books from the fires was his way of rebelling. You could argue that it was all his version of a mid-life crisis.

When I looked at it like that, I found it to be almost identical to Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. That too was about guy disenchanted with his job. My favorite scene in that book was when the androids capture him and spill their entire, evil master plan that's supposed to disrupt human society. He's so tired of his job and his life, he's completely blah about there plan (and for me, they're plan was so stupid that it was actually funny).

[sarahmarlowe]

Fahrenheit 451 is actually one of the few books that I enjoy rereading. Bradbury's foresight is fascinating, and the characters' motives are interesting to follow.

If I had to hide one book, it would be the Bible. But, if you want another choice, I think I would save All Over but the Shouting by Rick Bragg.

[nomnombooks]

This book will forever be one of my favourite books, because I really love the idea. And also the whole resistance group is very relatable if you're a booklover yourself.
I don't think I can name that ONE book that I would save from being burned, because there are so many great books. But I think "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende is far up on the list.

[Votrawlm]

I tried twice and really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. My attention span can be a little short, so a book has to really capture my attention right away for me to be able to focus and it just didn't do that.

[Angela-]

I'd be interested to hear if other people can think of examples of dystopian works that are a bit more complex and interesting (and perhaps more plot/character focussed rather than argument focussed)?

Millieanne, have you read Ayn Rand? Atlas Shrugged was the first one I read, and while it was rather argument focused, I felt she did a fine job developing some of the main characters.

I read Farenheit 451 in school and enjoyed it. I picked it up again as an adult and was surprised by the things I had missed as a teenager! So much symbolism (that my AP English teacher had begged us to see) was just jumping out at me the second time around. It kind of felt like a whole new story to me. Honestly, this led to me revisiting several of my favorite dystopian novels from my teenage years with my new perspective and it was a lot of fun.

On the topic of which book I would save, I feel it would depend on my motive at the time. If it were simply for me to enjoy, I would likely keep Gone with the Wind just because it was the first book I ever considered to be a favorite, so it has a certain sentimental value to me beyond the story itself. If I were attempting to preserve books for posterity, my choice would likely be different.

[Dragonsend]

Someone said in an earlier post that without books the truth would become fluid. What a horrible thought, but it is nice that we have the written word . I loved this book and I remember feeling horror at the thought the first time I read it.
Definitely the Bible

[cadelfavreau]

I would like to protect Crime and Punishment!

[Kinap]

I actually just finished reading this book recently! I loved it so much and couldn't stop thinking about it. It made me think about their society in relation to ours and what our future may be. It's so thrilling!

[Zoe_mallowey]

This is an absolutely amazing story, one of my most favorites. I've read it again and again. There's so many different twists and turns to this story that really capture you over and over and keep you entertained. Not to mention, there's so many things in the story- which was written so long ago- that relate to our current time. Honestly, I kind of fear this book a bit and it's ability to "predict" the future. After all, Ray Bradbury predicted the stomach pump before it was created, who's to say that more may not happen from this story, right? Anyways, not the exact point- the point is this story is genuinely amazing and if anyone that looks this up hasn't read it yet, you should. It will really suck you in, I gauruntee it.

[lettiebeth]

There are some aspects of this book that are eerily similar to our modern American world, and I think because of that I found this to be almost a little bit disturbing. Which is not a bad thing. I think it's good to be disturbed on occasion. How else are complacency and self-satisfaction to be challenged?
I honestly can't answer your which book question. I've tried for years to challenge myself to a desert island where I can only have ten books, and I've never been able to narrow it down even that far.
Kudos for starting this discussion!

[ratpizza]

I had to read this book back in high school and I remember being astonished by the world described in it. For me, this was one of those books that changed the way I thought about the world around me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is considering it. It is very good. Next, I really wanna see the movie that recently came out for it.

[ChaniT]

I admit I never read this book until my daughter was required to read it in high school. She left it on an end table one weekend and I decided to give it a try. I found myself astonished on how eerily close to our society this book came.
My daughter and I finished reading this book together which was a great.
I think everyone should read this book just to see how important books are in our lives. Too much television and video games ruined our minds.

[Jennashby_87]

I actually can’t believe I have went this long in life without reading this book. It will definitely be the next up on my list!

[nicole-adrianne]

I love this book so much! I plan to reread it soon and have bought it as a gift for many of my friends.

[sunmuth]

Fahrenheit 451 is absolutely my favorite book! I read it for the first time in 8th grade then again in 9th grade. I read it most recently last year and it still stands up as an excellent book.