Which book would you be? (Fahrenheit 451 spoiler included)

Remember in Fahrenheit 451, in a world where books are banned, this little community of book lovers have taken it upon themselves to 'become' their favourite books by each learning a particular text by heart? Go on then, which book would you 'be'. I'm tempted to go for The Tiger Who Came to Tea, just because it's short and easy to learn, but setting aside children's books and assuming a reasonably good memory, which books could you not bear to see slip out of the world? For me, I guess it would have to be a toss-up between Captain Corelli's Mandolin or The Crimson Petal and the White, neither of them an easy learning task but at least I don't think I could ever get bored with either one of them.

I've surprised myself by chosing The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger.

Out of all the books I would have expected to pick, that was the first one that came to mind and made me panic at the thought of it being burned.

I suppose because even though I knew the outcome before I even started the book, and he also makes it very clear right the way through, I still read every word hoping the ending would be very different. I felt a lot of stress and emotion reading that book.

As for children's books, we have Moo, Baa, La La La completely memorised, so that one's safe too.

I would choose Illusions by Richard Bach I like the message of this book. It is also short and easy to memorize. Maybe I could work in another book later. As for a children's book, I have Green Eggs and Ham memorized.

I think either Watership Down because it can be read (or heard) and enjoyed by multiple age groups and intellects and be enjoyed on many levels. It also has smaller stories and myths within it that could be told independently from the book to keep people amused for short periods of time.
That or The White Castle because it's one of my favourite books, shorter and it addresses universal self-identity issues in a non-angsty way. It's also intelligent and beautiful while being easy to listen/read at the same time.

I'd be Websters Dictionary or the Boston's Bartender Guide

Didn't they each memorize chapters rather than entire books? I only remember this because, as I read it, I imagined it would be a fascinating way to relate to and share information with others. Imagine reassembling all the chapters of your favorite book and having to find the last chapter!

Anyway, pardon the minor digression.

I think I'd be either Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Catcher in the Rye, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I feel like they each provide an experience I can both relate to and narrate well, but more importantly, I'd hate to see any of these contributions ever disappear.

Good thread!

#6 I did just have a quick flick through to remind myself and it was definitely whole books, although now you come to mention it, I do believe those with only a little time left or just poor memories may have clubbed together with others or maybe chosen a poem or something like that. I haven't found that bit yet but it does ring bells. I think it would be easier for me to memorise the whole book than to pick a chapter. And, if I ever get to finish both my faves and need a shortie to pass the time(!) it'll have to be Of Mice and Men. Or maybe I shoud start with that one for practice?

The fun idea here is that if there's a book you think is a waste of space, then you can send a hit man after the relevant person! It's more exciting than normal censorship; it's censorship with terminators!

"I am a friend of Sarah Connor. I was told that she's here; could I see her please?"

"No, I'm afraid she's memorizing The DaVinci Code."

"I'll be back."

#8 - I've always wanted my own terminator (to send after others, not to come after me.)

I wouldn't want to be the person memorising Twilight now you've put that idea out there.

#8 LOL! Now we're all going to have to think much more carefully. And I'm going to need to be kept forcibly apart from the person who gets to be Heart of Darkness.

I'm already The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (memorized in 6th grade - will just need a quick brush up).

Since I'm not up to tackling Tolkien I think I would be The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein - as that is the most re-read book in my library.

I'd pick Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami because it's filled with great characters (my favorite is Nakata who talks to cats) and scenes (like the journey in the forest into the village of those who have died) and ideas that stay with you (what happened to all those children on the field trip that left Nakata so changed? What is the meaning of that darn white thing?)

I definitely won't be putting out a hit on you then, jnwelch. In fact, you'll be on my dinner party list most nights.

Phew! That's good news; I'm not as fast as I used to be! A dinner party is just my speed.

As long as someone had already memorized Lolita, I would choose Ender's Game, as it's one of my faves and I've already re-read it a few times.

I might as well volunteer to memorise Remembrance of Things Past. I've got as much hope of retaining that as i have of memorising Green Eggs and Ham. What the heck, i volunteer to memorise it in French.

"On sait que bien avant d'aller ce... something... something... I do not remember madelines, Sam I am. I do not remember them in a tram, I do not remember them in a pram."

Heck, the books are burnt aren't they? Who's going to know the difference?

Since I don't have enough time left to memorize Bleak House (but somebody needs to!), I'll opt for the shorter Pride and Prejudice. I even have a head start since Fay Weldon used so much of the original diaglogue in the the adaptation she did for BBC in the 70's (?) 80's (?), and I have watched my video as a stress-buster so often.

>16 MrAndrew: Heck, the books are burnt aren't they? Who's going to know the difference?

Good point. Since no one will know the difference, you can do some constructive editing. Don't like the ending of Anna Karenina? Just alter it so that instead of throwing herself under a train, she zips off into the sunset on a Harley.

And I never cared for the ending to 1984, either. I envision an exciting conclusion in which Winston and O’Brien, on a rickety footbridge over a 2,000-foot crevasse, engage in climactic hand-to-hand combat. Martial arts moves like the scorpion kick abound. The tension is racheted up when Julia (1) catches fire, and (2) slips off the bridge and is holding on by on a single hand, her grip rapidly slipping! Eventually O’Brien has Winston pinned on his back and is choking the life out of him. “Big Brother is getting medieval, bitch!” he taunts. Winston, with a final burst of resolve, throws O’Brien off and O’Brien, imbalanced, plummets shrieking to his doom.

Julia loses her grip and starts to fall, but Winston lunges and catches her wrist at the last possible instant! He hauls her to safety and beats the fire out, and they embrace. But the fight with O’Brien has jolted the bridge too much! The ropes that suspend it have frayed and are about to snap! At that instant a helicopter sent by the revolutionary organization drops them a line and they are carried away as the bridge collapses. In the distance we see the capital city of Oceania aflame as the people spontaneously go on a rampage of destruction against their erstwhile oppressors. Roll credits.

I suppose I would want to memorize something that I would be able to recite with drama and length. I would opt for the first book in the Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World this is all hypothetical though. I can tell you the story of the book, but it would take me years to memorize it...

18> no! you just ruined the ending! Blech! Arggghghhhhh...I just started reading that.

Strangely enough, when in college we were assigned to do this very thing. We had to give a 5-minute speech, based on a real short story, book, or play. I chose to do The Assisi Underground, a non-fiction book about a Franciscan priest who saved Jews during WW II. It was a fascinating exercise to try to compress the action into a 5-minute speech.

BTW, I was the only one who did an entire book. There were two who did an entire play and everyone else did a short story. I personally didn't think it made a difference how many pages it had, but whether you could figure out which parts of the plot could be subtracted while holding the plot together.

Sorry, unlucky. The forward to my edition gives away the ending. I was like, "Hello!" Then I decided not to read it.

BTW, weren't you warned by the "...Don't like the ending of Anna Karenina? Just alter it so that instead of..."?

Yeah, but I was scanning so by the time I had actually realised what was said I was already on the next line. But it's okay, I'll read it later when I've forgotten the ending.

>#18: The zombies. You forgot the part with the zombies.

Damn it! And I was sure I had a career in Hollywood!

As Winston and Julia ride off in the helicopter, she gives him and odd look, her eyes strangely emotionless.
"What is it?" he asks.
"Your brain," she says. "Your big, juicy brain..."