This is one of many classic novels that I had never read, and knew little about. I knew that the basic plot dealt with burning books.

I am not sure how to write this review. Part of the reason is because I waited over a week to sit down and do it. But also I was left with a lot of questions when I was done with this story.

I liked it a lot, though. I loved how the action started right away with Clarisse serving as a catalyst in Guy's life. Her whimsical nature was such a contrast to most everything else, not only in Guy's life, but in the wider world of the novel as well.

I found myself constantly wanting to know more about the world outside of the city. Were books banned in countries outside of America? When did the burning of books really begin? We got some answers toward the end of the book, but I still felt like I was looking for answers. I wanted to know more about the war(s), too. They seem to last only a day or two at a time, according to the conversation between Mildred and her friends. But I wanted to know why their city was bombed. Did it have to do with Guy's actions? Was it coincidental? Was it random?.

I was also rather surprised to find out that the Bible was so heavily featured. I don't know why this surprised me, but it did. It reminded me of that movie, The Book of Eli. I liked seeing Guy's transformation throughout the novel. He was a rather weak and flawed character, especially at the start, but he was still likable somehow. I found myself not wanting to put my iPod down, because I just wanted to keep listening and find out what happened next.

Even though this book was written 62 years ago, I feel it could easily have been written today. I felt like the majority of people in the world were what I call "sheeple," mindlessly following the drivel put before them. One thing that cracked me up was all the "reality television" that was in the story. I'm sure it was laughably unbelievable back in the 50s that such ridiculous shows would ever grace the television screens of America. But how true has that become? And while we don't quite have the same level of interaction they do in the novel, it's almost scary how close we are to reality mirroring fiction. Also, with the television walls Mildred is obsessed with, I thought of the giant sizes of screens these days. Again, we're not that far from that becoming our reality. How many people spend hours upon hours of their life with earbuds in, much like Mildred did? We also have bluetooth receivers that fit in our ears, allowing us to remotely communicate with others, much like Montag and Faber were able to do. I found it very interesting that a lot of Bradbury's "science fiction" has now become not only fact, but everyday things in our lives.

That made me think more about the reason in the novel for the book burning. That brought me back to the "sheeple" idea. Without books (literature and knowledge and varied thoughts and ideas) the people really are like mindless drones. They don't question the government, they don't question the rules and regulations put upon them. This way, there is no threat to the government. They can control the people without question. Again, I think that this "warning" to society is still very relevant, perhaps more so than it was when it was first published.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because I was left feeling a little confused about some things at the end. However, I did enjoy the author's note at the end. Bradbury talked about how he adapted the novel to a play, and made some changes and filled in some gaps. I would be interested to see/read that, and perhaps resolve some of the questions I had. It was also interesting to hear the author talk about the conditions under which he wrote the book, and some of his thoughts about not only his book, but censorship in general.

Fahrenheit 451 - Likewise Book Reviews

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