I am a bit ashamed to admit that at the age of 27 I am only just now getting the chance to read this book that may be considered a must read for any avid reader. I simply never had the opportunity! (Plus, if you have read any of my other reviews of classics, you know that I detour around them on my To-Read list as I am not always a big fan.) I expected to like this book about book burning, but I was a little afraid that I would not, becoming a disappointment to readers and writers everywhere. However, I did enjoy it.
I won't go so far as to say that I loved this book, that it changed my life, how did I go all those years without reading it! No, it wasn't that grand. It was however a fascinating, if slightly terrifying, look into how things could be. Imagine a world where people choose to stop reading books! Because that is how it started! Fire Chief Beatty tells Montag that it all started when people began burning the bits of books they didn't like or agree with. People closed down the libraries. The government simply took it to a wider scale and made it more efficient with the redirecting of the firemen. People did this to themselves! This could effectively be the best horror story a reader could come across! Imagine this as our future! Forget 1984, at least they could read under the watchful eye of Big Brother! But to have no books at all!
I was also intrigued by the story of Montag. Not just with his fight against the government he once worked for so devoutly, but also with his inter struggle of being fascinated with the books. He truly tries to be just like everyone else. But he couldn't keep out the curiosity for ever!
All in all this book was fascinating. It was well written, even up to the end that is a bit teasing. And frankly it gave me pause as I sat reading it, listening to the large screen TV in the next room. Are we closer to the future that Bradbury hinted at? *Shiver* I hope not. I will pick up another book in my hope of delaying this horrific future.
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