Hello there! Just added this month’s classic literature read. If you’re following along with me, you’ll discover that this month’s book is my first science fiction choice. It seems I’ve steered on the path of romantic literature, so for this month I thought we should go sci-fi.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is my favorite science fiction book of all time. In my opinion, Bradbury is a genius in storytelling, with this book being his only science fiction work . His imagination of a futuristic society is what inspires today’s tech moguls into designing and manufacturing cool futuristic gadgets (think Apple earbuds, iPhones, and iPads). He also described characters watching excessive amounts of wall-size flat screens (hello?? flat screen tv?). This book was first published in 1953, so that in itself is brilliant in regards to predicting the future.
The story follows Guy Montag, who is the protagonist in this story. A fireman in a futuristic dystopian society. Instead of putting out fires, they start them. In this world, people do not read books. Books are burned.
In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, Bradbury explained the inspiration for his book was from Hitler. Bradbury was 15 when Hitler burned books.
I hope you’ll read this book and take away something positive from his message. I’d love to hear what you think and what you consider his message to be. Happy reading!
K.
