In an alternate version of the world, people are hired to set fires instead of putting them out in order to destroy all the books in the world. Guy Montag is one of those people until he meets a strange girl who questions the ways of the world and wonders what it would be like if the world was still as it was before. After taking a book from a fire on a whim, he becomes wanted by his fire squad and has to go on the run.

It's a really quick read and, despite that, filled with fully formed characters and plot points. I enjoyed it, but wished more had been done with the neighbor girl instead of her just being there to set the plot into motion and then conveniently disappearing. ( )

In a dystopic future, books are outlawed and burned. The title is a reference to the temperature at which paper burns. Guy Montag is a fireman who gradually notices how wrong things are.

He befriends a former professor, stands up to his fire chief, and fights a truly frightening robotic dog as he tries to get out from beneath the suffocating, normalizing, noisy, inane blanket that society has become.

I found the book hard to put down as Montag began to struggle, then burst from the constraints of a bookless, book-burning society. I found many of Bradbury’s elements chillingly prescient–television panels that took up whole walls, shows that were supposedly real that viewers became personally involved in, and entertainment that’s dumbed down so it offends no one, and challenges no one.

This is a timeless book about censorship, individualism, society, the love of books and the challenge of intellectual pursuits. I wished for more, and more rounded female characters, a lack Bradbury defends (somewhat grumpily) in the Coda of my edition. ( )

This is an incredible social commentary that absolutely everyone should read. Bradbury's translation of real-world events and their implications from present to page is uncanny and haunting. Full of timeless truths that seem even more applicable now than they were then, Fahrenheit 451 is a compelling work and a must-read. ( )

I first read this book (as most of us did) in high school. At the time, we were taught that it was a remarkable achievement and a literary masterpiece. Upon returning to Bradbury's novel, I must say that I am somewhat underwhelmed. The book isn't bad by any means, but it does not live up to the literary greatness that I remember from 12 years ago. Allow me to explain...I have this theory that Fahrenheit 451 is one of the last books most people ever read. Along with 1984, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and a couple of works by Vonnegut, Fahrenheit is a stock novel for high-school English classes (I'm sure there are others, but I think everyone read at least one of the aforementioned). The book is political without being reactionary, written in a simple and direct prose, and it lacks the complex plot-points that characterize other notable works. In point of fact, Fahrenheit 451 is a great, great book for introducing adolescent readers to literature. But...People graduate from high-school and (for the majority) go on to study science or business or to enter the work-force, never again to have anything but the most cursory of experiences with the great novels. In short, Fahrenheit 451 is one of the last great books that (most) people ever read. And if you doubt me, just try to find any book you read in high-school at the airport bookstore. So, that being said, and the shrill accusations of literary elitism already ringing in my ears, I love Fahrenheit 451. For each and every one of Bradbury's overwrought and bloated metaphors, I love this book--if only because it reminds me that at one point in almost everyone's life, they get to read at least a few good books. ( )

I just read this again recently with my daughter and was struck with just how timely it was. Of all the apocalyptic novels warning us of our possible futures Bradbury could not have been more right on. I am sorry Orwell ... it isn't Big Brother that will be the end of us it is out petty entertainments and refusal to drink deep of the intellectual life. Like Huxley, Bradbury is absolutely correct,it is the things we love that will be our end; not the monsters without, but those within. ( )

A difficult book to like mostly to do with Bradbury’s writing style, but one I read for the CBO’s bookclub. The themes explored were interesting but I wish it had been written in an easier style. Saying that, considering the book was written in the 50’s, it is eerily prescient. An unforgiving view of society as it now stands, suggesting that the vast majority of people are content to no longer question life but to accept what is force fed to them. The burning of books, becomes symbolic in removing the very thing we use to question society and our existence. ( )

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, reveals the changes of values and morals through a futuristic society. Owning and reading books in this society is illegal and censored by the government. Instead of coming to your house when there is an actual fire, firemen in Fahrenheit 451 are called to the job when books are found in someones home. The firemen are not meant to put out fires but rather start them. When books are found, they will burn the books along with the house. Instead of burying oneself in a good novel, people from this futuristic society are more worried about buying another movie screen to add to their theater of ignorance. This book shows how their government fears individuals becoming more superior than others. They believe that by burning knowledge, everybody will remain equal and no single person will excel higher than the other. I enjoyed reading this book because it shows us how society can be greatly influenced by government in an interesting way. My two favorite characters are Clarisse and Faber. They both have a lasting impression of Guy Montag and help him realize the importance of life and literature. This was one of my favorite books that I read in English class because I liked seeing how people reacted to Guy Montags' rebellious actions and I enjoyed following him throughout his journey and escape from this horrible society.

In this futuristic novel, Ray Brudbuy places his main character, Guy Montag, in a utopian society where everything is "perfect" and everyone is supposed to be "happy." However, the society's perfection originates from its citizens' oblivion to everything going on around them. The government purposely prevents those people living in their city from obtaining any knowledgeable information so that they are in complete control of everyone at all times. Due to society's lack of knowledge, the government is able to get away with burning books and brainwashing the entire population. However, one girl, Clarisse, who was able to defy this brainwashing, changed Guy Montag from a book-burner into an individual, unique from the rest of society. Following his drastic change, Guy Montag spends his days concealing his book-hiding secret, but when his secret is discovered, he runs from society only to find a group of intellects just like him.

I thought this book was definitely one of the more enjoyable required school books. Its intellectual discussion of censorship and its affects on society was quite intriguing. However, I thought that the extent to which Ray Bradbury expressed this futuristic change was exaggerated which is why I gave this novel 3.5 stars. ( )

In terms of importance this book would be five stars. And don't get me wrong, the four star rating is no knock. This book is excellent and one everyone should read. I just feel other books like Brave New World and 1984 said the same thing in a much more powerful way. ( )

Ray Bradbury creates a scary futuristic society in which a large oppressive government takes all power and leaves the citizens with no free thought. Bradbury includes comedy and irony to enhance his story. For example, in the book firemen burn books and houses rather than preserve them. Clarisse tells Bradbury that in the past firemen used to put out fires and Bradbury refuses to believe that and thinks the thought is ridiculous. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

The scary part of the book is that many people, such as Mildred, are completely content with being ignorant and powerless against the government. Montag knows he's unhappy, but he doesn't know why. When Montag partnered up with Faber and joined the "resistance", it showed me how unstable Montag was as a person and that the desire for freedom eventually overcomes loyalty to authority, no matter how strong.

I think it's very clever how Bradbury plays off of people's flaws and fears. For example, Mildred's friends don't want to vote for somebody because he's not as good looking as Mr. Noble. Some people fear that democracy promotes a popularity contest of sorts and that people will vote for candidates for the wrong reasons out of ignorance. Bradbury implies that big government creates an ignorant populace and so will vote for certain presidents who will make government bigger and bigger and eventually society will become like what it is in Fahrenheit 451.

The most interesting and appealing part of the book to me was the bands of intellectuals along the railroad tracks. It intrigued me to find out that scholars remembered parts of books so they could re-write them after the nuclear wars. I was even more surprised to find out that society had destructed and reformed many times before. I realized that society could very possibly do this in real life and maybe even did it already.

Ray Bradbury fights against big government with a very smart and interesting novel. This book was excellent and I would definitely recommend it. ( )

Kearsten says: Yes, scary. Yes, classic. Yes, kinda boring.

Despite being very short, Bradbury writes very...densely, and I found the book hard to focus on - my mind would wander. I do think it's an incredibly important book, and I am glad I reread it (first time since high school, of course).

My teen book group, though? Only 2 of 11 finished it - the others didn't finish it, mostly because they felt they "didn't get it."

We did have a nice discussion about censorship, though! ( )

In Ray Bradbury's brilliant futuristic novel, Fahrenheit 451, firemen search for and burn books. Guy Montag's (the main character) society considers book-owning and book-reading to be high crime. In the futuristic culture Guy lives in, superfluous information is almost considered a good thing, whereas true knowledge is considered one of the utmost evils. All culture in this society comes not from newspapers and books, but from "the parlor" - a full wall of nothing but a television built into the living room. The society Guy lives in is inherently evil, and once Guy realizes this, he sets out to change it.

Montag begins the novel as a fireman who loves every aspect of his job. Watching books burn brings him nothing but sheer pleasure, until the day he meets Clarisse. Clarisse is a young girl whose uncle taught her much about books, ideas, and personal thoughts. Guys' conversations with Clarisse change him for the better, and he begins to steal books and hide them in his home (without the consent of his wife).

When Guys' wife Mildred finds out about what he is doing, she becomes terribly frightened. Eventually she decides to turn Guy in and leave him. Guy is forced by his superior, Captain Beatty, to burn his entire book collection along with his home. In a last second turn of events, Guy uses his flamethrower to incinerate Captain Beatty and flees for his life to avoid arrest. Many twists and turns ensue, and in the end, Guy escapes and joins an outlaw band of intellects who memorize parts of some of the most important books in history to preserve them during the horrible time period they are living in.

In my opinion, Fahrenheit 451 is a captivating and brilliant, if not disturbing, novel. It is very meaningful today in the times we live in. Some of the characters struck me deeply, and left me wanting more. The story of Guy Montag, fireman turned preserver of freedom (so to speak), is surely one that I will never forget.

It was a bit overrated. I expected more out of the novel. Not bad though. ( )

Moronic back-patting to geeks around there. Books will never disappear (that's martyr complex for you), good books will disappear and be replaced by trash genre lit. ( )

Yes, scary. Yes, classic. Yes, kinda boring.

Despite being very short, Bradbury writes very...densely, and I found the book hard to focus on - my mind would wander. I do think it's an incredibly important book, and I am glad I reread it (first time since high school, of course).

My teen book group, though? Only 2 of 11 finished it - the others didn't finish it, mostly because they felt they "didn't get it."

We did have a nice discussion about censorship, though! ( )

Guy Montag is a fireman, but he doesn't put our fires - he starts them. He burns books for a living. Such knowledge is considered antiquated in an age where interactive talking walls and ear-thimbles tell a person how to think and act. But when Guy meets a seventeen-year-old girl who asks him, "Are you happy?" Guy begins to question the status quo. Is he happy? Are books the enemy to that happiness, or the contrary?

I feel stupid for not reading this book before. There are some books that are considered classics because they are old, and others that are classics because they deserve to be read and enjoyed forever. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the latter. I was amazed by how Bradbury nailed current electronic gizmos - flat screen TVs, iPods, and perhaps even YouTube - even though he wrote the book in the 1950s. I loved this book, and I'm convinced I need to read more of Bradbury's work. He is indeed a master. ( )

Fahrenheit 451 was an interesting work because the twists in the book were truly unexpected to me. I had expected to see how this descent into madness was the result of some Orwellian 1984-style government takeover of society. The actual story serves as a strong reminder that historically such conditions did not always come from revolutions, and that these situations can be repeated again. After all, it wasn't just Communist Revolutions that brought totalitarian people to power, but in such instances as Nazi Germany seven decades ago, and Chavez's Venezuela less than a decade ago, sometimes the people bring the horrors upon themselves, and the government simply comes in and does what the people want.

The main character Guy Montag is quite likable, even though his treatment of his fellow man is less than sympathetic or valorous. I could almost find myself growing to feel pity for him, as I could see the good man he was being beaten down by the corrupt society of which he was a part.

The villain of the piece, the anti-Guy was masterful. I won't say who it was, or what they did, because that would give away too much information about the confrontation between them. That is a seminal moment in the story.

The end of the book is somewhat of a downer in that there is no heroic victory over evil. Guy merely is along as we witness the results of a Fascist-Socialist state collapsing in on itself. The heroism comes from his willingness to risk everything to resist and turn away from such evil. The battle, and the victory, is personal. Somehow, this evoked in myself more feelings of pleasure at the outcome, than otherwise might have been the case. This is a person who, not knowing what the future will bring, travails onward. There is a slight glimmer of hope for the society at large, in the end. It lets you know that Guy and his friends will be okay, and perhaps society has actually turned for the better.

This book is dark, and dreary, but also inspiring. In the midst of any horrors, there is peace, hope, and truth. The truth can and will win out in the end. There is some strong language, as well as strong, mature themes dealing with censorship, war, murder, suicide, self-defense killing, and other issues. Caution is suggested, and only someone in high school or older should read this book. If you are in high school or older, I highly recommend this book. ( )

Guy Montag is a fireman, however in this book, firemen do not put out fires, instead they burn books. Set in a future time, it is illegal to read or own books. Farenheit 451 is the temperature it takes for a page in a book to catch fire.
One night, walking home from work, Montag meets his new neighbor, a 17 year old girl named Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse is a free thinking spirit, who surprises him with her genuine curiosity about life, she questions things instead of just accepting blind answers. She and Montag become friends and she talks to him about the past, when firefighters actually fought fires instead of burning books.
When Montag goes home that night, he finds his wife, Mildred, has overdosed on sleeping pills. He calls the medics and Mildred is saved. But Montag begins to begins to question his own way of life and his happiness.
One night while on call, Montag arrives at a womans house to burn her books. The woman refuses to leave, and instead dies that night in her burning home. Montag is greatly distressed over this and begins to have second thoughts about his way of life. While he was at the womans home, he grabbed a book to sneak out with him. It turns out Montag has been collecting and hiding books in his house for some time. He tells his wife this and shows her his collection, but she is so brainwashed that she doesn't care about the books and wants him to burn them too. So he decides to look up a retired English professor who he knows has books stashed in his house, a man named Faber. He hopes Faber can answer some of his questions.

I read Farenheit 451 without knowing anything about it, I just knew that Ray Bradbury wrote it and that it is considered a modern classic. So when I went to my local library and stumbled upon this book, I grabbed it off the shelf and figured i'd give it a go. I am so glad I did, it is a great read. I was hooked from page one. The storyline was really good, I found it to be creepy the way society was brainwashed and how they lived in an oppressed world without books. I liked Montag very much. It's almost like he was sleeping all that time, then finally woke up and snapped out of it.
Mildred creeped me out, especially the way she spoke, it was very disjointed, she makes offhand remarks, almost like she's drugged.
I think most off all, I enjoyed this one so much because I like books that are about books. ( )

Guy Montag is a firefighter - one of those men who burn the libraries and homes of individuals who dare to keep forbidden books. A chance encounter with a thoughtful girl causes him to start noticing small things in life that he never paid attention to before, and Montag begins to ask questions about his life and his work. Bradbury writes convincingly of a future dystopia in which various groups banned anything that offended them, an action that eventually escalated into full-scale banning and burning of books. At that point, however, a mind-numbed, unthinking public reacted apathetically, resulting in the world Guy Montag knows. Bradbury suggests that what's really at stake is people's intellect: "Take it where you can find it, in old phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends; look for it in nature and look for it in yourself. Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us" (82-83). In this world, people no longer sit and talk, exercise their intellect, disagree (politely or otherwise), or think for themselves.

I was impressed with how many of Bradbury's ideas about the future remain relevant in a science fiction novel written over fifty years ago. I was challenged by a lot of his ideas and sometimes slowed myself down while reading, but his writing style often compelled me to keep going. With long but flowing sentences and thought patterns interspersed with a lot of dialog, the book reads fast and is surprisingly short. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read. ( )

A classic. When I used to teach high school English, my students loved this book about a world where firemen burn down rather than save houses. Why? Because they contain books -- dangerous commodities that make people think, inspire individuality, and may even create a desire to change their circumstances. Knowledge is dangerous to any who wish for a pliable, mindless populace.

Classic; books are not only banned but burnt by firemen; Montag fights a building urge to have more reality and "life" in his life. ( )

In this classic dystopian novel, Bradbury introduces Guy Montag, a government-employed book burner in a USA where literature has been outlawed. He’s happy with his job. Well, he says he is happy and he acts happy. But Guy Montag has a secret behind his happy façade. Then one night, he meets a charming young girl, who questions him, who forces him to think, and slowly but surely the façade begins to crumble.

There is always a kind of risk involved in going back to an old favorite, but I find more often than not, the most memorable books of my youth stand the test of time, and I find that I appreciate things I had forgotten, overlooked or just plain failed to understand the first time. Fahrenheit was no exception. I was drawn in from the moment Montag first met his young friend Clarisse. Bradbury dwells lovingly on the small details of the scene: the reader can clearly imagine Clarisse’s facial expression, how she moves her hands, the scents in the fall air, and the movement of dried leaves in the breeze. These careful descriptions of scenery and interactions between people create pools of sensitivity and reflection that stand in sharp contrast to the fast-paced, crass, and shallow culture that Montag inhabits.

This culture is key. In contrast to many other popular dystopian novels, in Fahrenheit, the social culture and the attitudes and actions of individual characters carry much more weight and immediacy than the political backdrop. Montag and the other “firemen” serve a government that wages constant war, spies on citizens, and ruthlessly punishes non-conformists. Fahrenheit conveys some of the horror of living in this environment. The mechanical hound that hunts and executes enemies of the state is truly a thing of nightmares. Yet I found that what really struck me about Fahrenheit were the descriptions of “entertainment” that consisted of a constant sensory overload of meaningless, disconnected images, of loathing of silence and thought, and of casual callousness and disregard for life on the part of ordinary citizens.

Like most older science fiction novels, Fahrenheit has details that look amusingly dated to a modern reader. Bradbury also resorts at times to having characters “lecture” the reader, which comes across as somewhat insulting and annoying. But overall the message and emotional impact remain true and relevant. Fahrenheit is a simple, yet profoundly sad and disturbing narrative, and I feel it deserves its place as a modern classic.

Farenheit 451 is a dystopian novel depicting a world in which firemen don't put out fires, they start them... to burn books.

Written over 50 years ago, some claim that this science fiction classic doesn't hold up well today... but I have to disagree with statements like that. In fact, I can't help but think that the readers who say this classic isn't as good today as it was when written must somehow have held unrealistic views of how good the book really is. As for myself, I held no unrealistic expectations that it would be anything more than the slightly better than average I always thought it was.

So, what still resonates for me in this book? Not just the general apathy of the citizens to politics and the distant war, but also their fear of the idea that people can disagree with each other and yet still hold valid opinions makes Farenheit 451 a favorite for me. The people in Farenheit 451 seem to think that having an idea that's different than everyone else's is evil - as evil as reading and possibly believing what the books say; yet in the real world, it's the differences of opinion that make life interesting.

Unfortunately Bradbury was dead on with that prophetic vision of the future. The real world does look much like the world of Farenheit 451 in the apathy of the people toward politics and the distant war, also in the people's willingness to ban certain books because they disagree with or are afraid of the ideas contained within...

As for his women... well, those he depicted in the novel were not (I don't think) meant to represent EVERY woman... Unfortunately, I've known one or two like Montag's wife, and more than a few like Clarisse though, so who's to say that he got it entirely wrong. I like Clarisse a bit better than Mrs. Montag... quite a bit better... even though she comes across to me as somewhat of an airhead. These two aren't the only women in the book, but they are the most prominent ones... and unfortunately, Mrs. Montag's friends are much like Mrs. Montag; shrewish and nasty, not someone with whom I would want to associate. I'm glad that not everyone is like those women. Even the dreamers like Clarisse get tiresome after awhile.

Still, more than 50 years after first publication, Farenheit 451 is worth reading and retains it's place in my personal library and in my heart. Recommended to science fiction readers age 15 and up.

This review was previously published on Dragonviews ( )

Very Different and A scary premise, This was a book a friend of mine said I had to read, I finished it about a week ago and I had to let the information digest for a while. I have to say I am glad I read it but I can't tell you wether I liked it or not, strange but true, I think it was more of an awakening book than something to like or not like. I am awed it was written in the 50's(3+ decades before I was born) I can see how it would apply to the times we live in now and where we might be headed, It was very disturbing in that way and I can see maybe how we all might go down the wrong path in the future. I might even read it again. ( )

[Fahrenheit 451] by Ray Bradbury

This is a fictionalized tale of Mr. Bradbury’s view on the dangers of censorship. Written in 1950 concerning the not too distant future (at the time) 1990, it is amazing at the level of incite Bradbury had into our current way of life. He describes rooms with full size television walls where people can talk to their relatives, not far off from our current teleconferencing abilities. Or how about seashells in your ears where you can listen to music and audio recordings? Sounds like an IPOD to me.

Bradbury paints a very vivid picture of how the world would be if we were brainwashed into believing that all published material is simple mind numbing rubbish. Therefore the government had outlawed all books and magazines. Now instead of putting fires out, firefighters were paid to set them in order to burn any and all confiscated materials along with the building in which they were housed.

This was a fascinating book, with over 4 ½ million copies in print I am wondering how I didn’t stumble across a copy of this gem sooner than now. ( )