I just realized that I've been spelling "fahrenheit" wrong all my life. I've been leaving out that first "h." Woops! Anyway, this was the last book I read for my American Lit class. I like Sci Fi on occasion, especially when it's well done. Ray Bradbury does Sci Fi well. Now, when I say "Sci Fi" I don't necessarily mean aliens. Everyone assumes that's what Science Fiction means. It's not. Sci Fi contains several sub-genres, and Fahrenheit 451 is the type of Sci Fi book that looks at our current world and projects what it could be like in the future if some of the worst aspects of our society go unchanged. Think "Ghost of Christmas Future" in A Christmas Carol. The creepy thing about this book is how much Bradbury got right. This book was published in 1953, and issues like censorship, society's obsession with being "plugged in," detachment from nature and people, all are things that we can see in the modern world. We may not be burning books, but I can see how my life is eerily similar to the lives of people in this world. I think this is a great book. Bradbury was very prophetic, even. I'd definitely recommend reading Fahrenheit 451, although it's not a "for fun" read, or, as I've said before, not a "comfort food" book. This isn't a book that will make you comfortable with your own world and life, that's for sure. Which is probably a good thing.
1 comment:
I read this for the first time this year too and I found it really interesting. I enjoyed it (although like you said, it's not exactly "fun"), and I'm glad I read it.
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