Fahrenheit 451 – the temperature book paper combusts; though other sources say it is actually 450 Celsius – is Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel about book burning, mass media censorship and the importance of books. Adapted from one of his short stories entitled The Fireman, Fahrenheit 451 is set in an unspecified time in a hedonistic anti-intellectual America (though some versions say it is the 1990’s). The fireman Guy Montag meets a girl Clarisse, a free spirit who questions everything in life. The meeting has a profound effect on Montag and after returning home to find his wife Mildred has attempted suicide, he starts to question the state of society. On a routine book burning, Montag accidently reads a line from on of the books: “Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine”. Montag turns to books in attempt to find answers to life and society.

This book has some very interesting themes in it, from censorship to the importance of literature. In one scene Montag meets Faber, a former English professor, who gives three key reasons why books are so critical;
• Quality – providing knowledge and giving understanding to life’s questions.
• Leisure – provides enjoyment and entertainment
• Ability to act on what you learned from the first two

The state wide censorship was having an interesting effect on society, most importantly the decline of knowledge and intellectuals, in the effort to make everyone equal.

Fahrenheit 451 is a fascinating and exceptional book with some well written characters. For example I thought Clarisse and Mildred were the complete opposites of each other, making for an interesting relationship between them and Montag. I recommend this book to everyone.