Oh my! I cannot believe this has not been on my other "must-read" lists? It is excellent. I was mesmerized from beginning to end.
This is a dystopian novel. It is so beautifully written. I found an interesting comment about what Bradbury thought his book was about:
"Ray Bradbury stated in a lecture (at UCLA) that his novel 'Fahrenheit 451' wasn't about censorship. He made it clear that the theme of his book IS about the role of mass media and its effect on the populace. Basically he believed the old "idiot box" makes people less capable of assimilating complex information. Popular opinion dictated that 'Fahrenheit 451' is about censorship because Bradbury wrote the book during an era of actual book burnings. For example: During a college lecture on his novel, when he presented the truth of the book's theme to an auditorium full of students, he was stopped in his tracks by someone loudly exclaiming "No! It's about censorship!". After regaining his composure, Bradbury then tried to correct the student by holding up his novel and pointing to his name on the cover. Others chimed in quickly and consensus agreed that the novel was about censorship. Bradbury was so angered by the students that he stormed out and vowed he'd never give another lecture on it again." (jegd-847-631407 at IMBD.com)
This book is so relevant for today. I highly recommend it. It really is a masterpiece of fiction.
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