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What are readers saying about Fahrenheit 451?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-15 08:22:12.
(Language: English)
  
The premise of the book intrigued me. I mean, people burning books! That is somewhat considered blasphemous to me. I applaud the book for posing such a dark, disturbing theme and turning it into the book. The irony of it all! A book about people opposing books and burning them. It kinda makes you think, doesn't it? What if this world has no books? What if the television is heavily relied upon as entertainment?Despite the book being published in 1953, it has stood the test of time and, in some sense, is applicable to our world today. Throughout, it presented a lot of situations and scenarios. Not only about books per se, but also about how dysfunctional society is today and how greatly they rely upon the goggle box. Has television, and other following forms of medium, suppressed our thoughts and destroys the interest of reading books? One of the gripes I have about the book is specifically the style that it was written. The characters spout off sentences that reads like monologues instead of how proper human being speak. Bradbury did state towards the end of the book that he didn't particularly like it if books shorten dialogues and such, believing them to be stunting the actual meaning of how the story was meant to convey. But seriously now- it's not that believable when characters blabber and meander a lot. Another problem that I would also like to highlight is the ending. It felt too abrupt. Like, I felt that there were a few missing strings, some plot holes, that were left in the dark when Bradbury did the ending. Questions still linger. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-14 10:34:25.
(Language: English)
Totally Prophetic Book About the world today...consider the following... Walls that are TVs (bigger Flatscreen TVs) Seashells for the ears to play music (IPods) Gameshows with added educational value to make you feel like you are spending your time wisely, Cars going faster, Billboards with advertising getting bigger, Family becoming the TV characters we get involved with. Watching more than reading...the list could go on. This book makes you think about the way the world wants you to buy into its kind of thinking. Totally prophetic book...consider... Walls becoming TVs (Flatscreen large TVs, Entertainment Center) Seashells in the ears for music (IPods) Game shows with some added educational value to make you feel like your actually learning something. Billboards growing larger, cars going faster, Reality TV, Instant News Reports The books encourages you to take a look at yourself and the 'world' you buy into thats around you. For a book written in the 1950s it has alot to say about the world today.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-22 03:46:50.
(Language: English)
An important statement against censorship, this book presents a prophetic vision of a world where people are pre-occupied by 'popular entertainment' and distracted away from any serious thought or real knowledge (as represented by books). The disturbing similarity of this fictional world to the one we actually live in today, makes this a thought-provoking must-read. I must say, however, that I am not a big fan of the writing style. Points are driven home without much subtlety. It sounds a little preachy in places, and this diminishes the urgency of the message for me. Even the imagery of book-burning, though very provocative, ultimately makes the world of Fahrenheit 451 seem more un-real and distant than it actually is. The other problem is that the book never gets past the central premise to explore questions like why or how such a world might come to pass in any real detail. This is probably because it was originally written as a short novella. However, in this case, I would have liked to see a sequel!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-21 09:29:00.
(Language: English)
If you liked Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and George Orwell's "1984), chances are high that you also like this one. Still, I read and loved the first two and think that, in comparison them, "Fahrenheit 451" is the weakest one. Weak regarding the complexity of the story and also regarding the reader's suspense. However, the idea of future firemen torching books and houses instead of saving them from fire is quiet interesting as is the idea of a mankind that does not read anymore and ceases thinking in general. The latter is not too surreal when we think of all the TV-or PC-addicted that live rather in a fictional than in the real world. So, this whole highly interesting idea makes this lecture a not too bad one, after all.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-25 01:58:53.
(Language: English)
Wow, this book is scary. It was written back in 1953 but it feels like it's happening today. This book follows Guy Montag, a fireman, only in the future, firemen don't put out fires, they start them. This book sucks you in so that you feel like you're going through all the things Montag goes through, and he goes through some mind-bending changes as he wakes up to how dead people have become in real life (it has a lot in common with "The Matrix" in that way).Bradbury deals with teen violence, war, shallow entertainment and "info-tainment," the speed of modern life, consumerism, commercialism, sound-bite politics, endless and unjustified war, divorce, fascism, alienation and a million other things that we struggle with here in the 21st century. It really is frightening how prophetic he was- how much we've become like the world of the future he describes. Wide-screen High Definition, interactive TVs, iPods, well, except that everybody drives VW Beetles instead of SUVs!Of course, if you've never heard anything about this book before, I may as well tell you that it mainly deals with censorship and reading. It's short, fast paced and exciting. Hope you're not afraid of robot spider dogs with hypodermic needles filled with poison, or of fire!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-27 12:54:40.
(Language: English)
I first read this book in the 6th grade. This book single handily turned me on to reading literature for entertainment. It's a great story in a world that seems backwards from the very beginning. The main char is introduced as a fire-fighter so our expectations are set. When their job is to search residencies for books (which are banned), compile them and then burn them. Our pre-conceptions are shattered. The mains wife is truly a rose, sitting at home surrounded by television sets the size of the walls (modern technology... we are getting there). All is normal until he confiscates a book for his own personal inquiry and suspicion. Labeled as a criminal can he escape persecution? If I could take three books when stranded on a remote island, this would be one of them.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-13 08:24:28.
(Language: English)
I guess the last time I read this I did not find it a little long on the metaphors. But, even considering this you cannot deny that this is a great novel. It is amazing how many details get lost in the recesses of your memories (which is probably a good reason to read the old classics over again. I recently read that Ray Bradbury was peeved that the general masses (and those that instruct them) consider this a book of censorship. He apparently wished to get a different meaning across (you can read it here). I have some apprehension in believing this article. One, is this a true interview stating exactly what was discussed? Two, is Ray Bradbury in his old age forgetting things? And three, if his intention was otherwise than he failed to get his message across since I only see censorship of knowledge and thought being portrayed throughout the novel. An artist creates and lets the audience decide what it means to them. In this case apparently the masses believe it is about censorship – and to this end they learned not to take the status quo and not to be blind. Whether you agree with me or not, you must agree that this is a great classic science fiction novel.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-16 10:27:47.
(Language: English)
I think people have commonly misinterpreted this book as being about state censorship. While the firemen are in fact state-appointed censors, it is apparent that it is the people themselves that have caused the censorship to become so widespread in the first place (as Beatty alludes to). The state willingly cooperates in this censorship because it maintains that status quo and makes its citezens easy to control and manipulate. The main theme I got was about people's willingness to give up critical thought because it is simply easier to be a "sheep," and have someone else do the thinking for you. Such a society has crumbled into a cultural wasteland, where citizens are not happy (but in denial), engage in violence against thier fellow man, have no family values, are out of touch with the natural world and have empty souls. The similarities to contemporary western society are chilling.This book is a must-read. Incredibly powerful, but told through Bradbury's subtle and beautiful prose.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-03 11:47:51.
(Language: English)
I'm always annoyed when I think of all the great books that I wanted to read that were read in other people;s highs school classes. Even in the my high school. One semester I would here about one class reading something cool like "1984" and then in my semester, I wouldn't get to read it and I get "Who Has Seen the Wind" instead. This was one of those cool books. I've known about it for so long, but have only just read it for the first time. Very relevant for any time period. For any society that frowns upon free thought or questions, this is a very important book. My only problem is that the very end of it sounded very preachy to me. Then again, I'm a cynic and a pessimist, but it just seemed like along speech, but the rest of the novel makes up for it. I would suggest this book to anyone.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-07 09:10:18.
(Language: English)
it has such a powerful message that it manages to both whisper and scream. ray bradbury does things to words that other people do with paint, or film or glass. he so masterfully portrays a time in the unspecified future but does so without any long descriptive paragraphs. he leaves so many blanks and challenges the reader to fill them in. it's engaging, whats-going-to-happen-next-what-is-this-all-about reading. his dystopia doesn't have robots ruling the world, or puritanical right-wing fundamentalists taking over. it has people who give up on engaging socially and intellectually. Censorship isn't started by the state, its by an indifferent, lazy, spoilt, apathetic people who are over-stimulated by multimedia. Ipods are thimble-sized ear implants. Wide-screen TVs are WALLS, four of them the ideal, in the living room, and referred to as "the family". Suicide and sleeping pills are commonplace, stomach pumping done by "tradesmen" with portable stomach-sucking machines. Firemen start fires. Burning houses with books in them, often with the "readers" burnt alive inside. so rich on so many levels. i loved this book. S
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-29 05:02:04.
(Language: English)
"...If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war. If the government is inefficient, topheave, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it. Peace, Montag. Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely damned full of noncombystible data, chock them so 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel ther're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change. Don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy. Any man who can take a TV wall apart and put it back together again, and most men can, nowadays, is happier than any man who tries to slide-rule, measure, and equate the universe, which just won't be measured or equated without making man feel bestial and lonely. I know, I've tried it; to hell with it. So bring on your clubs and parties, your acrobats and magicians, your daredevils, jet cars, motorcycle helicopters, your sex and heroin, more of everythingto do with automatic reflex. If the drama is bad, if the film saysnothing, if the play is hollow, sting me with the theremin, loudly. I'll think I'm responding to the play, when it's only a tactile reaction to vibration. But I don't care. I just like solid entertainment" Ray Bradbury - FAHRENHEIT 451 - Published 1953
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-09 10:32:37.
(Language: English)
This was a re-read for me after many years & I had forgotten many of the details. The story is very compelling & gripping, & if you have read it you know how cogent it is. One thing that struck me is when the main antagonist, Fire Chief Beatty says, that burning books isn't necessary and you can see the reality of that statement in our culture. How many people are voracious readers in our visually stimulated society? Book burning really isn't necessary if books just sit on a shelf. I enjoyed the story, kept alive & moving by Bradbury. At times his style doesn't agree with me & I'm not sure I can explain why. It's just that I found myself eager for the story to finish even though I mostly enjoyed the story. At times it just seemed like Bradbury was being to wordy or cryptic or something. Nonetheless, I would encourage anyone to read it. The image of the Mechanical Hound, with its needle piercing attack, is just flat-out frightening. There are some other aspects that will give the culture critic pause, the 3-4 wall interactive television for example, with the majority of the population zoned out in a de-humanized humanity; it is a very relevent mirror for what is going on in our society. Considering the 1953 copyright date, Bradbury shows a high amount of vision.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-23 02:04:59.
(Language: English)
This story is an amazing story. It's a real thinker. I think the writing is not top notch as some parts had an odd flow, but the central theme is timeless. GREAT book. Ok, I won't consider book as the most well written as the 100 word, 1 sentence paragraphs with twenty commas sometimes were distracting, but this book is a thinker. Writen over 50 years ago and in some ways it may apply more now then it did then. If you read this and think it is about censorship then you need to re-read it or think on it, as Bradbury really doesn't talk about censorship at all, but rather uniformity. It to me shows how things like political correctness taken to the extremes is bad for all of us. The more alike we become, the less meaningful things we have to talk and think about and the more boring and worthless our lives become. I read this and it made me think how when I was younger I always said I would never grow up to be who I am in many ways now. I don't often think on big and unusual ideas like I seemed to when I was in school or just sitting around and talking to my friends. Technology can free us and connect us, as Facebook does, but it can also isolate us as never before. It felt good to pick up a book and read it instead of reading short online articles or magazines. If you feel your life is in a rut and is missing something and you do a lot of "nothing" I suggest picking this book up and reading it and thinking about it. Shoot me your thoughts on it if you need someone to talk to about it or about anything outside of the ordinary. It is short, about 150-160 pages, I think, and it will be done soon enough, but hopefully some of it will cling to you for a while to think on, turn over and ponder.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-12 07:25:09.
(Language: English)
Montag looked at the river. We’ll go on the river. He looked at the old railroad tracks. Or we’ll go that way. Or we’ll walk on the highways now, and we’ll have time to put things into ourselves. And someday, after it sets in us a long time, it’ll come out our hands and our mouths. And a lot of it will be wrong, but just enough of it will be right. We’ll just start walking today and see the world and the way the world walks around and talks, the way it really looks. I want to see everything now. And while none of it will be me when it goes in, after a while it’ll all gather together inside and it’ll be me. Look at the world out there, my God, my God, look at it out there, outside me, out there beyond my face and the only way to really touch it is to put it where it’s finally me, where it’s in the blood, where it pumps around a thousand times ten thousand a day. I get a hold of it so it’ll never run off. I’ll hold onto the world tight someday. I’ve got one finger on it now; that’s a beginning. (Page 161 &162) You gotta love ol Ray :)
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-16 10:47:32.
(Language: English)
Fahrenheit 451 is quite prophetic at times and is closer to the truth today than we may like to admit; censorship based on the dislikes of special interest groups, a trend toward technology over relationships and nature, the entertainment industry controlling our minds, interactive and reality tv, reporting the news and rewriting our history to be politically correct, and the demise of the newspaper (of course we still have news in print but now it's online). One of the things I like most about this book is that it provides food for thought, and based on the theme of the book, that is a good thing!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-02 10:52:34.
(Language: English)
I didn't care for this book as much as some of Orwell's works ("1984" and "Animal House") or Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." The story itself seemed a bit jumpy in places and the ending seemed rather abrupt and "we gotta wrap this up now." However, Bradbury's notions of censorship, the power of thought and reading, and how the media and technology affect what little thinking abilities we have left are spot on. And I really liked the character of Montag; his dichotomy and struggles throughout the book as he goes from one extreme to the other really pull the reader through the story. But I think the crowning jewel was the afterward and coda by Bradbury where he discusses the reactions of schools, censors, and what he refers to as "minorities" to "Fahrenheit 451" and some of his other works.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-30 11:32:10.
(Language: English)
This exploration of a society void of literary knowledge and incapable of intelligent conversation is both frightening and thought-provoking. Imagine a culture in which the people cannot think coherently and have no desire to really learn anything about philosophy, religion, or theory. A society stuck with useless, mundane facts spouted off to them in school as a tool to make them think that they are expanding their minds, when in reality they are merely filling their heads with useless information. A society where firemen don't stop fires, but rather start them in order to get rid of books. A society of a mindless mass of people who sit and watch television all day, lowering their attention spans with every moment and not able to focus on a plotline that lasts more than five minutes. What's scary is that this is what society seems to be turning into - most people would rather watch tv nowadays than sit down with a book. Television shows have begun to feed us useless facts instead of conveying ideas. People have become more interested in watching other people's lives played out before them instead of reading and thinking about any sort of intellectual or philosophical way of life. It's almost as though Bradbury predicted what television would do to society back in 1950, when he first came out with the short-story version of this book, "The Fireman." In my opinion, everyone should read this book. It's a social commentary and an almost 'what if?' scenario if things continue the way they are going now. For follow-up, I would suggest the book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman, which talks about the different ways that the media has begun to shape our lives.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-12 09:57:20.
(Language: English)
First off, I really, really wanted to read this, thanks to my grade 11 teacher M. Comeau. About two-thirds of the way through, there suddenly appeared many cases of profanity, in most cases, the word d---. I ignored most of them blissfully, at first reading anyways, and only noticed it when I looked back on the page (I'm the type of reader that scans the page and rereads it for detail when I think I've missed something important). I figured there were more than enough instances to merit myself a -5 for the book. Interesting concepts though, and Ray Bradbury is definitely an intriguing author. I also question why Hugh Hefner shows up in so many literary circles; you wonder how the Playboy King gets into them in the first place. Good read; I'd love to buy a copy, run through the swears with a black highlighter and lend it out for a thought-provoking read. One more note: ironically, there are Biblical quotes in this book. Queer.
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Dan posted a review at 2009-04-08 04:02:31.
(Language: English)
Bradbury is a fine writer, and "Fahrenheit 451" proves to be his burning star. Like George Orwell, Bradbury must have seen the impending doom that the future held. With the emergence of TV and radio, he saw the destruction of individual thinking and the construction of a media controlled society. And whoever had the power of the mass media had control of the people that watched. In the book, people were absorbed into their Television rooms and virtual families, their sitcoms and their thought numbing music. It's a world quite like ours. Sure, it might be more exaggerated in the book, but the concept is the same. whatever the media puts over the news, the majority of the people watching will take it in as truth, and nothing but truth. People become dependent on their mass media for entertainment, because the media can do all the thinking for them. All they have to do is observe and stare blankly into a monitor all day, no one to impress, no one to communicate with, nothing but them and the fantasy world displayed before them. So yeah, before I get carried away, just read the book, I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy to sit and think after reading.
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Ayn posted a review at 2010-06-15 10:09:08.
(Language: English)
Fahrenheit 451 is about a future where books are outlawed, people love to watch tv commercials instead of expanding their minds, and firemen START fires instead of putting them out. (What better way to dispose of contraband books?)I started this book with very high expectations. My father was extremely fond of Ray Bradbury, and frankly I don't understand what all the fuss is about this book. The future world that is portrayed is interesting enough. I am quite a bibliophile and hearing about what they did with books... I really felt that. The style left me wanting, and many of the scenes were painfully unrealistic, even for a novel of this type. I personally would recommend reading this book simply because it is not very long and is such a 'classic' that it is worth having an opinion on.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-01 05:16:16.
(Language: English)
Although written over 20 years ago, Ray Bradbury's prediction of the world now is freakishly similar to our world today. Although more extreme in some instances than our society, this is a good read for anyone who likes movies such as iRobot or books like 1984 by George Orwell. The main character feels something is wrong in society and when he realizes it's society itself the novel fills with action often uncommon in a classic book, but a feature that makes this novel good even for young adult readers or people who can get bored easily in classic literature. Everyone should read this if they've got the $7 and few hours (even if just here and there). An amazing and short read for those with less time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-27 06:03:16.
(Language: English)
I am sure at the time this book came out, it was more fantastical. The book spoke of a future with hi-tech gadgets, which are pretty much like regular gadgets to us now. Despite its straight forward storytelling, the story itself is pretty darn cool. Imagine books, newspapers and magazines being outlawed to a point that anyone in known possession of these items will have their house burned to the ground. I imagine if internet was around, that would have been taken down too. The story really starts to progress when the main character a fireman named Montag with the job of burning down these homes, begins to question his work and the information found these books he is made to burn...
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-04 02:45:32.
(Language: English)
I love reading old sci-fi books,escpecilly the ones which seem particularly astute in hindsight. It took me a while to get round to this one though, as I was told it's just about burning books. It isn't. It's about culture, nature, social interaction, the course of history, opening your eyes and taking action. At the point I've come to in my life, I find it particularly resonant at the moment. What I particularly like is Bradbury's really flowing descriptions. He delves into touch, taste, sound, and weaves his words in a very poetic fashion. He precededs Ballard and Dick in identifying the confusion of modern/post-modern living, although I'm sure there's others who picked up on this before. Like a lot of the best Sci-Fi I'd say it works better as a comment on the 'now' - whether it's 1953 or 2007 - than as a distopian vision of the future. I've read quite a lot of books lately but this one is definately a must read classic. P.s. Brian Campbell's review is good (see below)
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-24 01:25:44.
(Language: English)
The implications of a world without books are difficult to conceive. As it is, technological advances – whether for convenience, entertainment or discovery – consumes our society. In 1950, Bradbury suggested consequences that may ensue from this consumption. It was fascinating to read about how these advances encouraged people to alienate others, how some scientific discoveries turned against their master (mechanical dog, anyone?) and how individuals were so self-involved that they failed to actively prepare for a war that threatened their very existence. I say fascinating because of its resonances with today. Fahrenheit 451 left my head buzzing long after I put it down. Although I cannot claim to have held it under the literary microscope – analyzing every element that I could wrap my head around – I do see its potential for discussion. I love how the book invites the very critical thinking that the society it portrays seeks to discourage. It’s difficult to deny the benefits that evolution has brought to our world, but where do we draw the line between necessity and indulgence?
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-16 11:55:35.
(Language: English)
My Freshman year at William & Mary, I had a lot of friends on hall in another dormitory from mine and I would hang out there a lot. One of the guys on the hall, Paul, decided one day to set fire to various objects in the shower, just for fun. He was evicted from college housing for the rest of the year and had to live off campus (in a guest house which seems a lot cushier than dormitory living, but I digress). Being 18-19 year-old boys, Paul’s hall mates found this hilarious and his act of arson became the keystone event for the year. When it came time to make hall t-shirts they selected a logo of a flame with the motto “It was a pleasure to burn.†That quote of course is the first line of Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury, my first selection of reading for Banned Books Week. When we think of books being banned it’s usually by government and/or religious authorities. The events charted by ALA on their Banned and Challenged Books lists are not so much total banishment but the acts of parents, teachers, librarians, and concerned individuals that a book in school curriculum or on the library shelf will somehow harm children. Bradbury writes of a different kind of banning, one where the people of his dystopia willingly give up books to escape the fear, uncertainty, and discomfort prompted by the ideas contained in books. Sure, the government sponsors squads of firemen to destroy books, but in this society the firemen are heroes (and entertainment) for people who would rather pursue hedonism. Their lives are numbed by wall-sized televisions, in-ear radios, and riding in fast car. They’re happy to support their country going to war as long as it lasts 48 hours and no one they know gets hurt. In other words, it sounds startlingly similar to our country today, at least metaphorically. After all, how many people do you know who’ve willingly banned books from their lives? This is an excellent book, a bit melodramatic, but well-written. I can’t believe I never read it before now.
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