Fahrenheit 451

Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Guy Montag is a fireman but instead of being tasked to kill fires, he starts them with the purpose of destroying books. Fahrenheit 451 is set in an unspecified time and place in the future where books are banned and firemen are the ones responsible to seek and destroy them. In this society strong censorship has taken affect and it is accepted that knowledge is bad.

I didn't exceptionally enjoy reading the book as it does tend to drag at some points but I also think that it is a classic which must be read. Fahrenheit 451 is an excellent book and I loved the message that it presented. The effects of strong censorship and the lost of interest to read and think was something worth pondering upon.

I sympathized with the main character as realization hits him on the state of society that he lives in. Montag who is not the best of heroes often makes rash decisions (which can be frustrating), sometimes easily swayed and often confused. But these are the elements that made the character seemed real and more human to me as a reader. I was also quite intrigued with Captain Beatty’s character who appears to have much hatred towards books but is able to quote the best lines from known literature.

So the verdict: Fahrenheit 451 is an absolutely must read despite some parts which I thought can drag a bit. So, if you haven't read it yet, read it.

Other than Fahrenheit 451 being a ‘must read’, the history of how Ray Bradbury developed Fahrenheit 451 itself is interesting which is explained as a short afterword at the end of the book. I’ve also stumbled upon some sites that mentioned Fahrenheit 451 was once a banned book but after further research I’m still not able to find out when and where it was exactly banned. If you have this information, please do share it with me as I’m curious as to why it was banned.