Fahrenheit 451 is one of the best classic literature pieces ive read so far. Ray Bradbury's describing what his characters feel is very well done. I think this book talk a lot about todays society and how awful censorship can be. The ending of the book was very unexpected and a massive bruh moment. anyways read the book already its worth you time. ( )

It's always startling to find a novel written in a bygone era that speaks as powerfully to today as it did to its own time. Originally published in 1953--64 years ago--Ray Bradbury's tale of book burning seems, if anything, more relevant than ever. In a world where people are lulled into a stupor of "happiness" by a surround of television walls and "Seashell" listening devices (what today we'd call earbuds) that feed them endless drivel, it's a crime to read a book. Houses are fireproof, so firemen no longer put out fires--they come with kerosene and flame to destroy books squirreled away by those few who still cling to them.

You may already know this, and more. Fahrenheit 451 is one of those classic novels you read in school, if nowhere else. I read it long ago myself, and am only now catching up to it again. Rediscovering the novel, though, was only half the treat. This edition gives us not only the novel, but all the "bonus tracks" that help place it in time and bring it forward to our day. Bradbury's own comments on it, including his rant over the censorship that, in an incredible twist of irony, made it "safe" for schools without his knowledge, are priceless.

But perhaps the most striking things about this novel are how we can see in it events swirling around us. Bradbury warned of the "tyranny of the minority," those who insist upon making speech "safe" or "appropriate" by requiring concessions to their own points of view. More than ever, we are surrounded by exactly this behavior. He warned against immersion in lowest common denominator entertainment, and here we are, plugged into our electronics, heads down, thumbs perpetually on the virtual keyboards, oblivious to all else. A mere week before I began my rereading of F.451, I was setting out the trash when a young man walked by and nearly blundered into and over my garbage can because he was so focused on his cell phone. I'm not kidding. And that isn't the only or worst such incident I've witnessed. We've become a nation, if not a world, of whiners, moaning about how bad people make us "feel" when they don't agree with our point of view. In Bradbury's novel, the firemen aren't the chief destroyers of books; most people simply don't want them anymore. They'd rather be safe, dumb, and happy than deal with significant, potentially disturbing thoughts.

If you haven't read F.451, you really should. And if you already have, it might be time to do so again. ( )

One of those rare novels that feels like poetry. And he makes his point. Timeless. Now more than ever we need to cherish this book. ( )

A book that can be described as the literal manifestation of a crowbar being used to open your eyes. The surveillance, the brainwashing, damn, Ray Bradbury is amazing. ( )

It's an interesting read when zoomed out but rambling up close. Lots of stilted dialog and scenes bouncing between one thought and the next. I didn't enjoy this one and am glad it was so short. ( )