Fahrenheit 451 CD

Rating:
Summary: With the utmost respect to Mr. Bradbury ...
Review: I could not 'get into' this book at all, and was eager for it to simply be finished by the time I got halfway through. Which is saying something- this is only 120 pages or so. I most certainly respect Bradbury and see what he is capable of in his short stories, but this novel is perhaps just a tad- what's the word- obvious for my liking.

This book was no doubt a pioneer in its time, especially in the context of Mcarthyism in which it was written; daring and controversial in its own way. That was probably where the book packed its punch ... the world has changed and audiences take more to shock them, me especially, so this tasteful story didn't hit me in the controversial spot inside.

As far as comparisons to 1984 go, I cannot honestly say 451 is in the same ballpark, or even anywhere close. It's far too simple to be seriously compared, although some have compared it. Bradbury got carried away a little too, I think, in scenes such as the chase sequence. He went overboard with repetition for some kind of emotive echo effect, I suppose intended to come across as passionate and surreal, but for me it just didn't work- it made me cringe. I felt no desire to root for the Montag, the protagonist, nor felt any emotion when he was steering himself towards danger. Bradbury was new at the gig when he wrote it, which should be born in mind; he's probably a classier act than this book might indicate.


Rating:
Summary: One of the great literary works of our time, but...
Review: The Michael Moore bashing is out of hand. Farenheit 451 might be one of the great literary works of the past century, but Michael Moore has won an oscar, so he's good too. And hey he might have borrowed the title, but hey that just proves that 452 is still relevant some 52 years later. Anyaway, see any connections, between the society in 451, and America now? Great story, and Michael Moore is not poorly dressed (ever see People's Choice Awards ad how he was dressed there?).
There, I've said it both Farenheits are great, and if you can't see the connections, then well, I guess Michael Moore is even still ahead of his time , but will never be 52 years ahead of his time... Anyway, Science fiction has a funny way of coming true...

Rating:
Summary: Fahrenheit 451
Review: Ray Bradbury is the living master of the science fiction genre. This stuff is good, written in 1953, even if you are like me and don't like science fiction. Pass on those Bush-bashing movies by disingenuous poorly dressed film-makers and go to the real thing.

This Fahrenheit is called 451 because that is the temperature at which books burn, more or less, and that is what this is about. Reminiscent of Hitlerian Germany, book burning is back in vogue in the eastern US in the late 20th century. The first ironic twist is that the firemen start the fires to burn the books, generally engulfing the book owner's home, and sometimes the book owner as well.

Guy Montag is a third generation fireman who starts to question the purpose and meaning in burning books. All homes have been somehow fireproofed, so no real fires occur, only those started by the fire department. Montag's wife sits home all day, watching mindless broadcasts on large screens, and complaining that Guy needs to earn more money in order to purchase even larger screens. Her ultimate objective is to cover all four walls of the living room with monitors.

Guy starts to sneak home some of the books and of course, he ultimately becomes the target of his own department. He learns that he should not trust his wife or his colleagues, all of whom long ago drank the kool-aid. He does make the acquaintance of an elderly professor, an intellectual and scholar from the old days, who ultimately puts him in touch with others of a similar ilk.

Perhaps most interesting is the reason givien for burning the books. Non-fiction is bad, since it is all contradictory and impossible to prove, and fiction is even worse since it is not even true, just made-up people, places, and dialogue. And dont get me started on poetry or philosophy, that will only cause confusion, sorrow, and feelings of being lost. Society has made a clear selection in its entertainment, with an absolute preference for high speed sports, action, and adventure.

More irony follows as Montag on several occasions becomes both the observer and the target as he is pursued by the authorities. Then we learn from reading a book that books are not a suitable way for humanity to store knowledge, that requires dedicated but powerless and marginalized scholars involved in constant peer review and analysis. The last irony is that Bradbury has written a very short book here, actually a novella, because he knows that we prefer action and adventure to reading.

As of this 2005 writing, I understand that Bradbury is in his 80's and still working. In various interviews, he expressed anger that Michael Moore would adapt his title for a completely unrelated and unfunny diatribe. But then, Bradbury lifted "Something Wicked This Way Comes" right out of Shakespeare. What comes around, goes around.