Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
Discuss This Book--Guy Montag is a happy-go-lucky fireman whho first appears to be quite happy with his job. As the book progresses, we learn that being a fireman in this fantasy world does not mean putting a fire out, but rather Guy's job is to start fires. He is one of the many who responds to calls reporting civilians who are keeping books in their homes. All but a few books are banned, and those which are not banned are of very little interest (mostly instructional manuals). Most of the characters in this novel seem to agree that books are evil and troublesome, brainwashed by the government, and glued to their fantasy "families" coming through on the big screen tv "parlors".
Guy meets a young girl, Clarisse, who opens his eyes to a wild idea - thinking for yourself, holding conversation for the sake of conversation, and (heaven forbid) reading books instead of burning them. Clarisse soon "disappears" - likely to have been murdered by the government, though this is never confirmed, it just floats below the surface of the story. As the story progresses, we learn that Guy has been stealing and then hiding books in his home for some time. This fact is known by his boss, the Fire Cheif. Guy is told that he has a short amount of time to satisfy his curiosity, and then he is to return the book - otherwise he puts himself and his brainwashed wife in danger. Inestead of conforming, and returning to the life of the average fireman, Guy begins a discussion with an old man, with whom he creates a plan to resurect people's interest in reading, and to lift the ban on books. They envision a whole new world, where people can start over, and most importantly learn to think for themselves.
Guy becomes a fugitive, nearly killing himself in his flight from the authorities. The end of the book brings with it a fresh hope; but you'll have to read the book to learn exactly what I mean by that.
I really liked the book. It makes a strong statement about banning the ideas that books bring, the freedom of expression, and how that can inhibit mankind. It's a dangerous fire to play with. Bradbury does a remarkable job of illustrating this point. He makes a bold statement against censorship.
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