Fahrenheit 451

Warning Contains Minor Spoilers

Fahrenheit 451 is a must read book. This book is about a society that has banned all books, and as you can imagine it's a mess. Firefighters start fires, plumbers respond to emergencies instead of medics, but who can blame them? They don't have any instructions, as every book they find they burn.

This book OPENED my eyes to the dangers of censorship. The reason books were banned in the first place is because people found them offensive. And society in this dystopia has decided it necessary to ban ALL BOOKS as there are critics/haters for every book that exists. By doing this humans regressed back to the cavemen ages, yet had today's technology causing chaos. This leads me to my point.

No book should ever be banned. Every book contains information, the information could be good, or it could be bad, but who decides. I think no-one should decide, I believe that all books can be interpreted differently, and it’s impossible to judge. This is why my stance on censorship of books is that censoring books should be illegal.

This book was challenged in 2017 on the premise that it encouraged criminal behavior, as the main character in the book was technically a criminal as he opposed society and broke the anti book law. This is ironic as the book warns against exactly what is happening here. The people that challenged the book interpreted it as a crime book, while others including me saw the book as a warning to banning books.

For these reasons I believe it is a must read book, as it informs you on the dangers of censorship.

Reader reviewed by Jess

i bought this book because a coworker said that it was about a different kind of future, one were reading was actually against the law and carried huge punishments. now to me, owning over 500 books, this just seemed barbaric!! i didnt actually read the book for a couple months though, because the first chapter starts out with the firemen getting a tip and going to burn the books...cuz thats what they do. the firemen no longer save us from fires, they create them, frm books!! they are supposed to be illegal and immoral, and the government is saving us from ourselves...kind of well, more political than i like to get. but just this side of too far fetched. i could actually see this scenerio happening and that really scares me. the significance of the title is that books burn at 451 degrees F. something i really never cared to know :( but, its a short book and an eye opening one, if you can get passed them burning books.

Reader reviewed by Sami

Imagine a world where firemen start fires. They burn books, all knowledge of the past for the peoples own "good". This is the crazy society in Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag, the main character, also a fireman questions this society when he reads a book one day. A good book to read.

Reader reviewed by April Kung

Freedom is participation in power," said the Roman orator Cicero. Through his words, he declares that people should not yield to majority if their rights and moral principles must be compromised to do so. This idea of freedom and power is discussed in Ray Bradburys futuristic book Fahrenheit 451, as he anticipates a corrupt society without literary wisdom.
Freedom becomes twisted when people deny their rights while the others use their power to manipulate the society. The people in the Fahrenheit 451 fear the thought of knowing, which leads them to depend of others to decide for them. One of the storys influential characters, Beatty, the captain of the firemen, is a man that uses his knowledge to control the lives of other people. He believes that books are meaningless and harmful to people, therefore, he becomes a fireman that burn books. Although in a biased way, he carries out what he believes by the act of participating in his society. His words Forget them&burn all&Fire is bright and fire is clean, shows his philosophy of resolving his problems by destroying them.
People should participate in power, instead of lowering their expectations and wait for the government to fix their problems. When the society is unhealthy and has various problems, people should not ignore them and seek for a resolution. Bradbury explains this idea in his book through the two main characters Beatty and Montag. Beatty is the earliest character to realize the problems in the story, however, instead of fighting against them, he chooses to be one of them. He defines freedom as holding the strongest power, overlooking his inner desire for books. On the other hand, unlike Beatty, Montag handles the crisis by actually finding the reason. Somethings missing shows Montags awareness of the society he is in. By direct participation in helping the people, Montag eventually gain their long lost freedom.
Freedom can only be fully obtained if people involve in the affairs of the society. Instead of merely depending on the government, people should always work together to prevent troubles from occuring. By doing so, people can secure their unalienable rights and avoid the society described by Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451.

Reader reviewed by K.T.

Fahrenheit451 is an excellent sci-fi book.It revives the spirit to fight for your rights.I find it extremely accurate on modern society even though it's a fiction story.For instance,in the book the future society has huge flat televisions screens on the walls that the characters call "The Family".Today people have the plasma screen and t.v. has become the center of family recreation,eliminating the art of conversation and actual socializing.This lack of conversation is also another aspect of future life in the book.Another reason I like Fahrenheit451 besides for the keen insight of life today,I like how it supports drawing out of the lines and not living in fear of being an individual.

Reader reviewed by erica

Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 is a futuristic novel that depicts a totalitarian society that practices censorship and destroys individual thought. The book follows fireman Guy Montag, whose job it is to start fires to burn homes with books rather than put out fires. After Montag has conversations with an old English professor and a young girl named Clarisse who both have the rare gift of being able to think for themselves, Montag begins to question his life. He realizes that there is something missing and that he is greatly unhappy, and he feels that whatever he is missing can be found in the books. Montag begins to realize the importance of ideas and things such as books, and decides to try to change the ways of his society.

Well, folks, it's famous for a good reason. The book is Fifty years old, and it is perhaps more relevant than ever. But so what? Is it good writing? Does it entertain? Does it have real characters Oh, yes it does! It's absolutely fantastic and I just plain can't recommend it enough. If you love sci-fi, great. If not, it doesn't matter. I can say definitelyn"transcends the genre".

Reader reviewed by Emily

What would society be like without books? Well, this website wouldn't exist, that's for sure. Fahrenheit 451 explores the perils of censorship and the elusive necessity for free speech and expression. This novel is essential for any young American who strives to understand political motivations in education. I would recommend it to high-school students, but it wouldn't be beyond younger readers and is certainly appropriate for older ones.