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Summary: Fahrenheit 451
Review: I chose this book because I have read Ray's books before and enoyed them. The title seemed interesting, so I took it. His style of writing can be confusing, so you must concentrate while reading. I gave this book a "thumbs up" because it had an unexpected ending.
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Summary: Why Burn Your Books?
Review: This wonderfully written science Fiction book is a thought provoking and has two very good qualities. First of all, with Fahrenheit 451 you must read between the lines to find out what Bradbury is really saying. Not only is Bradbury writing a wonderfully twisted novel, but, to me, he is also saying that people are afraid of new or interesting ideas and, since books are full of them, these people will burn the books to put an end to ideas that may cause trouble for "society." Of course, as with all of Bradbury's books, it is open to interpretation because of its weird and different look at life and some of life's hard facts. Bradbury's characters have been created with a depth that creates a realistic quality. This depth makes you want to know them, yet, in a way, you feel that you already do. We follow Guy Montag through his insanity knowing he is not insane, it's the rest of his world that is nuts. We grieve when his friend Clarisse McClellan dies because she is more in touch with reality than anyone else is. In all, this great book wraps you up in its story of everyday life in the future, with all its twists and turns. In other words, don't burn this one.
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Summary: Scary Thought
Review: Bradbury's classic is another look at how the world could be headed for literary distruction. In his own thoughts at the end of this novel he compares the actual burning of books to the figurative slow burning of books by abridging. He believes that every book should be left in it's original text as the auther so intended; every verb, adjective and comma. This book is a must read for all appreciaters of any type of literature. It reinforced my forgotten belief of a book's true value. So throw down that remote and pick up a good novel, unless of course there's a good episode of Seinfeld on ... or a good movie... and of course you have to watch the world series, and every other sports playoffs .... ahhhh forget books they take up to much time anyway. That didn't last long, did it?
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Summary: Today's Values Found in an Evil, Futuristic Culture
Review: Guy Montag is a fireman who's job requires him to efficiently burn books when a call enters the station. In the future, the government, in control of millions of people, decides to make reading books against the law, fearing that a literate society would destroy itself. Guy, through the vision of a young girl and an old English professor, discovers his own wonderment of his surroundings, triggered through great ideas found in books. Discovering this universal wonderment lies at the foundation of the author's main theme, highlighted brilliantly through his distorted and domineering society. With this futuristic society and a distortion of trends found in today's culture, Bradbury captures his reader's attention and makes them open their eyes, hearts, and mind to the true importance of independent intellectual enhancement through reading.
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Summary: Una joya bien labrada
Review: Este libro de Bradbury tiene un fondo impresionate con una historia original, fresca y aterradora pero a la vez una naracion tan detallada y bien hecha que uno tiene que terminar de leer el libro tan pornto pasa las primeras dos paginas. Es un futuro aterrador el que plantea (imaginese vivir sin Amazon.com ni nada que se le paresca) pero su mente elavora muy bien la historia y no se mete en detalles tecnicos como, que año es, como se monitorean las personas o comofuncionan los aparatatos. Toma toco cono un futuro ya establecido que no requiere mas explicación que la indispensable para la historia. Una joya literaria para degustar con una lectura pasuada pero sin pausas.
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Summary: how bad? not worthy of a star! i was forced to put something
Review: ok at first i jumped at the idea when in the future they burn books since i am not a big book worm. then when i started reading it i frequently got lost! you cannot wonder or your like "what?" the plot is dumb i could have done whole lot better! in the description too. and then i came to a conclusion "its a book and it talks about banning abd burning books"...hmmm.... "how dumb!"
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Summary: Why Hate A Book Written For You?
Review: First off this is an excellent book. I'll not bother to say what it's about 'cos everyone else has already done that. What I will say is that this book was written for all of you out there who hated it and want to see it burned. This book tells what is today so very well, with the poetic pose that Bradbury alone can use. No wonder he's only the second person EVER to be printed in TIME, and virtually every major magazine. In one sceen Montag reads poetry to a room of guests, they all burst into tears. The reason for this? They have never heard anything like it before, and can't understand it. Step into any high school English class and you'll find the same thing, kids not understanding and hating the book. Many people hate this book, they don't understand it. It describes mode day perfectly. Look at any college library were they have books that have been banned for being "intororant" "Little House On The Prairie", "The Bible" books that offended. In the world described in this book all, books offend, nobody understand them and if one person doesn't get it WHOOSH! up in flames it goes. That's why student's today read dull gutless books by contemporaries, instead of books to make you think like something by Dante, or Milton. God forbid the poor kid not understand something. A 12-year-old wrote, "This book is supposed to be about the future, but talks it resembles today" NO KIDDING! This alone shows the greatness of this book, it was written 50 years ago, and tells us about ourselves. They also claimed they could "not relate to anyone in the book." What a shock! Got news kid this was written for adults, of COURSE you couldn't relate, how could you? Unless you're abnormally intelligent they couldn't. The teacher who assigned this book to a class of 12-year-olds should have their head examined; they weren't going to get it. Some people say Bradbury has a negative outlook on the future. Anyone who was read a book by him knows that. The reason? Bradbury has a firm grasp on reality, and knows that humans are evil, and will ultimately destroy themselves. He has good cause to be pessimistic, he looks at the modern world and shakes his head, and then try's to do something about it by educating us. For those of you who want to be educated, and are bright enough to understand this book, and the truth it shows, buy it. For the rest of you. Buy a meaningless book by I know not who, and find why nobody knows who they are. And leave book meant for bright people with eyes in their heads alone.
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Summary: Strengths in 451
Review: Depending on who you are, there are different messages provided in this book. To a reader in the 50's, this book may just seem like a chilling, futuristic novel. More can be seen by the modern reader because the actual science fiction portion of the book is less distracting. All of the devices described in the book we either already have, or now know are impossible to create within this new century. For example, the interactive "family" Millie was so involved in could be around any day now to consume our loved ones. The mechanical hound, on the other hand, won't be. When the creativity and dazzling ideas of the "future" are lost, the morals and messages become more defined. Bradbury was probably more accurate than he would have ever thought, as we move towards a more lazy America. Some of these messages seem more religious then anything else. They inspire to take advantage of the moment, and be thankful for what we have been provided. No matter how advanced we become, nothing will replace picnics and family values. Although these things have deteriorated over time thanks to technology, they should always be practiced if only for tradition
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Summary: ¿The Burning of Individuality¿
Review: Firemen no longer save lives. Instead they burn books and the people who harbor them. Censorship is the way of life in the science fiction world of Fahrenheit 451. Conforming with government, destroying individuality, and asking no questions are the rules of Guy Montag's world. Set in the twenty-first century, Ray Bradbury's novel tells the tale of the fireman who begins to question the rights and wrongs of his life. In this world books promote thinking and wondering and acting. Compliance is necessary for the government to ignore its people and watch over its "thirty-second" wars. The government wants assimilation and ignorance of differences. So modern technology produces television that is interactive and family rooms are replaced with television parlors - four walls of larger than life TV screens. The firemen hunt out owners of books and burn them, their homes and their books to the ground. "It was a pleasure to burn," is the opening line of the story. In the beginning burning books is a source of joy, an excitement programmed into Montag by his world. Then he meets a girl whose family raised her with an encouragement of challenging what she is told. Montag is amazed, almost scared of the idea of questioning life. She begins to question him too. "'Do you ever read any of the books you burn?' 'Is it true that long ago firemen put out fires instead of going to start them?' and the worst of all, 'Are you happy?'" And there begins Montag's conflict with the government and with himself. When he reads a line of a book he realizes that there is no turning back. He can't be who he was before. And maybe he doesn't want to be. The book is set up as a narrative of one man's experience in trying to rebel against a world that has almost complete control. It is written partly as a typical novel and partly as a sequence of Montag's thoughts. The plot is hard to follow in places and often confusing but the idea behind the story is important enough to make reading the book worthwhile. Bradbury attempts to warn us of what the future may hold that we might prevent the beginning of a world of tyranny. He tells us to remember and cherish the attributes that make us who we are. He teaches us to be an individual and challenge the world around us. Although I did not enjoy the novel, because of the confusion, its message is very important if I want a world where what I think and say is important. A world in where I am a person with rights and opinions that are as valued as any other person's. I do want that world.
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Summary: A horrifying look at Censoria
Review: Ray Bradbury has taken an issue so overlooked even today, to have written something about the topic of censorship in the 1950s was quite a daring act. Ray Bradbury did it well enough, and with his ficticious novel Fahrenheit 451 he explores the horrible underbelly of education and society, and forces the reader to re-examine the values of our society. In the novel, the main character (protaganist) Guy Montag, is a fireman, but not what you'd expect, his job is to burn books and the houses that contain them, but then he meets a young woman named Clarisse who teaches him the wonderful truth of books, and a place where imagination and thinking are praised. Montag become obsessive with the idea of obtaining books, knowing that they must be wonderful treasures, so great, that people would give up their lives for them. Soon, like most things in life Clarisse fades away, but so does the thin strand that was Montag's grip on life. He seems to spin out of control, the books that he once destroyed now seemed to be destroying him, becoming his every obsession. Montag finds himself becoming afraid of everyone and everything, and he feels alone, unable to be helped. Fahrenheit 451 is a fabulous book dealing with an issue that still badgers people today even in the 21st century: censorship. This book takes an immediate look at the history of censorship, and sets forth startling revelations as to what will become of mankind if we take away the creative process, the independent, thinking spirit of man and gives a warning that must not be ignored. Fahrenheit 451 is an absolutely essential read.
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