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Fahrenheit 451 Unabridged Cd

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Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most famous works of science fiction, and with "Brave New World" and "1984" represents one of the most memorable and haunting dystopias. In a future world, books are banned and firemen actually set fires instead of extinguishing them. The state exercises a form of social control through controlling what sort of information people have access to. It turns out that not all books are banned, only those that we would today consider "great works" - Plato, Shakespeare, The Bible, Darwin, etc. For me one of the biggest surprises about Fahrenheit 451 was the rationale that was offered for the burning of those books. In a nutshell, they offended politically correct sensibilities and the authorities felt that they would undermine the social cohesion. This expunging of the classics from the culture has an uncanny resonance with the attempts over past few decades to expunge them from the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. And rationale is also similar: these books are not "diverse" enough and may offend the sensibilities of an ever-increasing list of "minorities." It is hard not to wonder if a milder, softer version of dystopian future that Bradbury was worried about in the early 1950s has not in fact arrived.

Bradbury's writing and ideas are somewhere between those of George Orwell and Philip K. Dick. His style is very engaging, and even poetic. His writing is at its best when one of his characters engages in a prolonged monolog. However, the plot development could use some improvement. There is very little in terms of transition from one scene to the next, and most scenes are overly compressed. It is very hard to follow the plot developments at times. Nonetheless, Bradbury is a wonderful stylist and unlike much of science fiction this book is a pleasure to read on a purely literally level as well as for its sweeping ideas.

As a last note, I found it incredibly ironic that I read this book on Kindle. Based on this alone I am fairly optimistic that reading and great books will not only survive but in fact thrive well into the 21st century.

This somber book, with its theme of government-encouraged anti-intellectualism, was written during an age when "eggheads" were suspected of being subversive somehow, maybe even godless commies. This distrust of intelligence and non-conformity is taken to the extreme by Bradbury, with stark and memorable results. By discouraging education and all forms of intelligent discourse, the future government is able to control the population not merely by force or threats, but by providing an endless flow of mindless entertainment, which (nearly) everyone happily accepts. Like sheep before the slaughter, the placated citizenry of Fahrenheit 451 simply doesn't know any better than to believe what the government pronounces at face value. This perverse form of "mind control"- enforced by keeping minds happily engaged in only the most trivial of pursuits- works only too well, since it is far easier to remain ignorant than struggle to form an opposing opinion that might require courage to express. And by burning the last remaining learning tools that threaten its empire- books- the government tries to erase the possibility that anyone could stir an uprising based on ancient philosophical principles such as democracy, liberty, and self-determination.

Ignorance becomes not only bliss, but a frightening way of life.

Bradbury is one of the original "Golden Age" science fiction writers, and that shows in this book. There's the element of the fantastic in the everyday gadgets here, more speculation and wonder that science. For this reason, it doesn't quite have the realistic edge that most mainstream fiction has, although the philosophical themes in the book elevate it to mainstream status. But if you like the "gee-whiz" in your science fiction, then that's another plus.

-Mark Wakely, author of An Audience for Einstein

Still harrowing after all these years, and perhaps even more so now in SOME countries (not calling any names here), 451 is as disturbing and enlightening as it was low the many years ago when it was written. Like 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD, it is one of those "This can happend if we don't watch out" books. And we should listen. While not a long read, it is packed with emotion and forboding. Yes, this is a classic, worthy of being taught in school, but it's for everyone. A warning of what can happen if "they" take over. Don't let them.

Also recommended: "Katzenjammer" by McCrae and "Catch 22."

Fahrenheit 451 was a novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. This book is not for people who like to read books that are easy to comprehend. If you are into books that you have to take the time to understand, than this book is for you.
It starts out by introducing the main character "Guy Montag" as a fireman of the future. Only in those days fireman don't put out fires, they start them. In the book all houses are fireproof and it is illegal to read books. If you are caught with books the firemen will come to your house and burn the books and your house.
Montag is a normal guy of the future until he meets this young girl named "Clarisse." She asks him questions that he always thought were a waste of time. In this time frame people don't get tickets for going too fast on the road. They get tickets for going too slow. Clarisse explained this situation very well in the book by stating "If you ask a driver what a green blur is. Oh yes, he'd say that's grass! A pink blur? That's a rose garden! white blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows.
Eventually Montag goes on a run he will never foreget. An old woman is willing to die with her books rather than live without them. So Montag decides to see what these books are all about because society has labeled books as being a waste of time so he begins to sneak books away from the houses they are burning. He eventualy shows them to his wife and she turns him in. Thats when it starts to get really intersting. but the most interesting thing bout this book is that it is almost beginning to come true. I mean we shortened classics from 500 pages to 100 and if you are really lazy you could probably just watch the movie.
I would definetly recomend this book as something to read that you just can't put down. Its another classic from Ray Bradbury.

This book is extremely entertaining, I couldn't put it down. It basically starts with a man in a dystopian society where the firemen don't put out fires, they start them. They are ordered to do this by a tyrannical ruler who does not want the masses to read, so he may control the country without anybody starting a revolt against him. This fireman is happy with his job, he loves to watch the flames burn the books, he knows nothing better. His life is fine until one day he meets the young woman and she makes him understand what life is all about. The adventure starts when he goes against mainstream society and instead of burning the books he reads them. I will not ruin the rest of the book for you but will only say that he faces many difficulties as a result of his choice to challenge the established order. READ THIS BOOK!

Also recommended: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez (Complete Restored Edition)

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.

I hadn't read this Bradbury's classic for 15 years. I had 14 years old then and though I liked it, I appreciate it now even more. Should I think I was not mature enough to understand all the ins and outs of the book?

When Ray Bradbury published his Fahrenheit 451 several decades ago, he depicted a decaying society, only preoccupied by its facade of happiness. Not that people are entirely free of the usual constraints but everything is done through games, shows, comics for them to forget the notion of thinking, source of all distress and misery. Those who resist are destroyed, dangerous books (those *who* make think) are burnt. And finally, does it work after so much trouble?

Well, at first sight, it depends on the basic purpose of the system. If its aim is to make people happy, it's undoubtedly a catastrophic failure. On the other hand, if it plans on making people believe they are happy or at least act as if they were, the answer may appear less immediate but little by little, you realize that for most of the characters, and therefore for probably most of the society, it comes to the same thing.

Montag, the fireman who burns the books, is suddenly confronted to the emptiness of his life. Is he happy? No. He will refuse the system and fight, like Granger and the old Faber. Mildred, Montag's wife, has accepted it all. It's so practical for her to live without thinking, with a virtual family on screens around the walls of the parlor. She has friends she can talk with. She has plenty of leisure, goes on parties, but is she happy? Can she be happy when she frequently needs a bunch of pills to get dopey to the point of risking her life? Obviously not. Same for her friends, you'll see it fast.

Two characters are really apart in this book.

Clarisse, for example, doesn't like or hate that fake prosperity, simply because she doesn't care. She just does what she likes and she's happy. It's probably the only person you'll meet who is. Unfortunately, it will kill her but her short encounter with Montag will have been fundamental.

Okay, I admit it, even if he's not from the "good" side, I've a compassion of some sort for the last important character of the story, Captain Beatty, the firemen's chief. He's really disconcerting, an opponent worthy of Montag. You quickly feel his cogency, his volubility. Despite his current lifework, it's easy to suspect he read a lot in the past and reflected over everything. He would once have been a precious ally for Montag but now, it's too late. He abides by the system and resigned himself, sincerely convinced of its ineluctability. So, of course, he must oppose Montag. The way he dies, the way he chooses to die, is terrible and you'll realize then what despair has haunted that man, how strong his disgust of life has been.

Oh, while I'm writing this, I've just remembered a scenery. In fact, each time I think about Fahrenheit, this one always comes to my mind. At a certain point of the 2nd part, Montag thrust himself in the parlor occupied by Mildred and her friends who were watching their favorite show on the 3 walls, the White Cartoon Clown. Montag pulls the switch, and after some words exchanged about the coming war, he simply says "Let's talk." The passage that immediately follows his request is powerful, from the bewildering words of Mrs Phelps about the children she never had to the furor of Montag appealing them to get out of his house, it's a total delight! I guess it's only there that the reader discovers in what terribly absurd world s/he was dived. This passage is a great moment of literature history, I swear you! :)

If you make up your mind and wish to buy that magnum opus, I suggest you buy the 40th anniversary edition for Fahrenheit deserves a choice place in your library. The dustcover is beautiful, with the back reproducing the original illustration. Now, let's remove delicately the dust cover. Wow, there's a nice hardcover under it, the main sides are light brown and my fingers can feel the author's name raised slightly in the same color :) and on the black edge, title, author and editor are in gold letters. Hum! Hum! What's more? Ah, yes, a very interesting and recent foreword by Ray Bradbury, very instructive, it explains everything: the genesis of the book, the historical context, the how and the why. The original introduction (written in 1966) is still there, as captivating as the foreword, both of them are worth reading. From all points of view, I'm very proud to own this edition. I hope you'll feel the same pride.

I heard so much about this book before I finally picked it up. And when I did get around to reading it...I wasn't impressed. Yes, the author's ideas are scary: That in the future, firemen set fires to burn books. One firefighter, Guy Montag, begins to look at his life more closely and discovers how empty it is. He begins to take books home from many of the places he has destroyed. Clarisse, Guy's next door neighbor, and seemingly the one that set his book-stealing into motion, is one of the most interesting characters. Unfortunately, she disappears without much explanation. I did see some good messages in this vision of the future, but I felt a little bit cheated too, because I wanted to get a better glimpse at this society that spawned this fire fighter-book burners. I'm not debating if it should be a classic or not, I'm just saying it was not personally a very good book to me.

The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in my opinion is extremely confusing and difficult to read. The setting is in a futuristic world, where books are banned and anyone who is caught with books are prosecuted. The main character, Montag, is a fireman whose job is to burn books. The world he lives in is plain and dull, and he becomes desperate for something exciting, so he begins to read the books that he burns. Once caught by his fellow fireman, Montag must flee from his home and run away to escape imprisonment or possibly death. In the book, some of the concepts are hard to understand, and the futuristic conceptions in the book may confuse the reader. The vocabulary isn't too difficult, but there are sections of the book that may set the reader off track. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than the seventh grade level, and I would recommend this book to people who like science-fiction. Personally, I thought this book was very boring and it didn't capture my interest.

I picked up this book because I had absoutely loved Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984. I thought I would like this book, considering its subject matter. I was completely wrong. Those that compared this to the other two masterpieces, failed to note one thing: Whereas the other two are written in haunting, intense, breathlessly engaging style, this book is in comparison rather choppy in its language. If the language style was not so dry, maybe I would have enjoyed slightly more. Furthermore, the book lacks any suspense whatsoever. Instead of staying up all night by my bed to finish the book, I had to constantly skip pages because of its rather boring and dry writing. I also found the characters particularly unsympathetic and unable to identify with. Instead of drawing me in, I had to force myself to finish the book (after repeatedly skimming through some unbearably slow sections). For such a small book, it's not easy to turn off a reader so many times. In addition, the book feels distant and unrealistic. It misses the realism to resonate with today's society, but it also lacks the bleak prophecy of a warning. Instead, near the end of the book, the author gave a not very subtlely disguised lecture on censorship, which is fine, except for the face that it feels like the author had left the world of storytelling and abruptly intrude into his own stories. He could not get the point across by the story itself; he had to announce it out. I also found the ending a bit ridiculous and incredulous. If words were so easily preserved in memories, we would not need writing. If the brain were so indiscriminating in its selectivity, we would not have conflicting memories. And although this book was supposedly an anti-censorship novel, I did not walk away from this book feeling the horrow of censorship. Instead, I wished I had not wasted my time on reading this book.