Book Review

Farenheit 451 has to be my new favorite book. It's somewhere in the middle of the "books I was never forced to read in high school so I can enjoy them now" list. I had some extra time in airports and planes lately, so I was able to read it fairly quickly. It reminded me that

a) There is still good fiction out there I haven't yet read

and

b) Ray Bradberry knows how to write.

I guess c) would be that Mr. Bradberry is still alive, but that's not too relevant to the review. Still, how old is he, 90?

Even if I was forced to read this book, I'm sure I would have enjoyed every page of it. The suspense hardly lets up for the entire length of the book. There's always some tension about something, and Bradberry knows how to sustain it.

But it's about more than just good storytelling. It's one of those cautionary tales about where we as society are headed. However, like many sci-fi classics, it makes inaccurate and extreme predictions. For example:

1. Censorship exists but it's mostly unecessary. Americans in the story care mostly about themselves and TV than anything or anyone else. Other countries don't like them, and they don't know why. Sure. Like any of that will happen.

2. TV is mindless drivel, but people treat the bland characters like family members. Treating fictional characters like family? How far-fetched can you get?

3. A character notes that TV could contain the substance of books, but people just don't want it. Education becomes bland and entertainment-based. Everyone gets so bored that they behave recklessly and lose respect for human life. Oh, come on.

Prophetic inaccuracies aside, this was a fun and thoughtful read. I recommend it, if you like that thinking thing.