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Anne's Reviews > Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
by
by
Oh, come on!
Who doesn't like to set shit on fire?!
But seriously.
Don't burn books. <-- that's wasteful!
Or witches. <--that's murder
Or buildings. <--that's arson
Or blue jeans. <--that's...what? no. seriously. back when I was a teenager, I remember this wacky church youth group burning all their jeans because Jesus wanted the girls to wear dresses.
You can however burn calories.
Alight, as much as I love Richard Simmons, I'm veering away from the point.
There are some books that anyone who loves to read feels like they need to get around to. And Fahrenheit 451 is one of those bucket list books that I've been meaning to tick off for years now.
And now I'm done. Ta-da!
So what does that mean? Did this book change my life?!
Short answer is no.
This is a really weird little story with an even weirder ending. <--not BAD, just weird.
Ok. Maybe it is a teensy bit bad in spots. But I think this has the same problem (for me) that most of these older dystopian novels have, in that it depicts humans as just absolutely stupid and prone to easily giving up real relationships. I think that's just dumb.
People crave people.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't some people who get sucked into too much fake digital shit in whatever form it may take for them - porn, gaming, social media sites, and whatever else.
BUT. There have always been folks that just retreat from the real world.
Think about those weird hermits who live in some creepy cabin in the woods because they just can't deal with life and think other humans aren't a necessity.
I'm not referring to introverts or folks who are shy, because even if it's hard for them to be in crowds or to act like a social butterfly, they usually have a small group of trusted loved ones.
Point is, this book made it seem as though once people stopped reading and (basically) started watching tv they just ignored everything and everyone.
That just doesn't track.
And I say this as someone who absolutely loves books, but stories are stories.
Whether you hold a hardback, scroll through an ebook, love the visuals of comics, enjoy listening to audiobooks, or even (gasp!) watch a movie.
All of those? They're a medium that allows you to escape.
Allows you to reach out and live another life, see things through someone else's eyes, and maybe expand your mind.
Don't be a snob. There's room for it all.
And when you actually take a look at how most people watch television shows or movies, we tend to do it in a social way. I watch certain things so that I can talk to my friends about it later, or I pop some popcorn and con one of my kids to sit on the couch with me and watch something stupid together.
I'm not saying you'll be totally fine if you immerse yourself in some sort of virtual world and forget to bathe.
And I'm certainly not saying that we'll be ok if we start lighting books on fire.
What I am saying is that I thought a lot of this particular story was a product of the fears of the time.
TV will rot your brain!
And there may be the slight potential that you could be letting evil spirits into your home if you sit too close to it.
However, there are some things to take away from it that I think are important and potentially relevant still.
Censorship of any kind, written or otherwise, is dangerous.
You may hate what someone says, you may hate what they stand for, you may think their ideas are vile, but it's so very important to remind yourself that if you try to squash their ability to express those ideas with speech, you're own right to express your ideology and opinions will be the next to go. You also may want to remember that just because you've stopped someone from saying something, doesn't mean they don't still think it. And that shit will fester like a boil.
It will eventually come to a head in a very ugly way because that's how human nature works and no amount of shushing and pretending will stop it.
I would rather be awkwardly uncomfortable because someone I disagree with has a platform than watch the eruption that will happen when the entire world ignites from one side of an argument that was silenced for too long.
Dude, everyone knows that's when the machines will take over!
Ok, about that ending.
I felt the spirit of Fonzie beside them as Guy & that odd little group of hobos jumped that shark on those train tracks. Am I alone or did anyone else think that whole thing was mighty random?
You've got sleepers hidden all over who've memorized books? What? You've 'figured out' how to unlock the magic photographic memory gene?
Ok. Sure.
Why not?
I also felt like that the killer robot dog was kind of a waste of an incredible idea. It started off like it was going to be super scary and play a huge part in the story and then...yeah, a little bit at the end. But it was kind of anticlimactic. <--to me
I guess I just expected more?
At the end of the day, I'm really glad I finally got around to this. It's definitely required reading, but on the upside, it's pretty short.
AND it's not as depressing as 1984, so there's that.
Publisher: ListenUp Audiobooks
Edition: Unabridged
Tim Robbins - Narrator
Who doesn't like to set shit on fire?!
But seriously.
Don't burn books. <-- that's wasteful!
Or witches. <--that's murder
Or buildings. <--that's arson
Or blue jeans. <--that's...what? no. seriously. back when I was a teenager, I remember this wacky church youth group burning all their jeans because Jesus wanted the girls to wear dresses.
You can however burn calories.
Alight, as much as I love Richard Simmons, I'm veering away from the point.
There are some books that anyone who loves to read feels like they need to get around to. And Fahrenheit 451 is one of those bucket list books that I've been meaning to tick off for years now.
And now I'm done. Ta-da!
So what does that mean? Did this book change my life?!
Short answer is no.
This is a really weird little story with an even weirder ending. <--not BAD, just weird.
Ok. Maybe it is a teensy bit bad in spots. But I think this has the same problem (for me) that most of these older dystopian novels have, in that it depicts humans as just absolutely stupid and prone to easily giving up real relationships. I think that's just dumb.
People crave people.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't some people who get sucked into too much fake digital shit in whatever form it may take for them - porn, gaming, social media sites, and whatever else.
BUT. There have always been folks that just retreat from the real world.
Think about those weird hermits who live in some creepy cabin in the woods because they just can't deal with life and think other humans aren't a necessity.
I'm not referring to introverts or folks who are shy, because even if it's hard for them to be in crowds or to act like a social butterfly, they usually have a small group of trusted loved ones.
Point is, this book made it seem as though once people stopped reading and (basically) started watching tv they just ignored everything and everyone.
That just doesn't track.
And I say this as someone who absolutely loves books, but stories are stories.
Whether you hold a hardback, scroll through an ebook, love the visuals of comics, enjoy listening to audiobooks, or even (gasp!) watch a movie.
All of those? They're a medium that allows you to escape.
Allows you to reach out and live another life, see things through someone else's eyes, and maybe expand your mind.
Don't be a snob. There's room for it all.
And when you actually take a look at how most people watch television shows or movies, we tend to do it in a social way. I watch certain things so that I can talk to my friends about it later, or I pop some popcorn and con one of my kids to sit on the couch with me and watch something stupid together.
I'm not saying you'll be totally fine if you immerse yourself in some sort of virtual world and forget to bathe.
And I'm certainly not saying that we'll be ok if we start lighting books on fire.
What I am saying is that I thought a lot of this particular story was a product of the fears of the time.
TV will rot your brain!
And there may be the slight potential that you could be letting evil spirits into your home if you sit too close to it.
However, there are some things to take away from it that I think are important and potentially relevant still.
Censorship of any kind, written or otherwise, is dangerous.
You may hate what someone says, you may hate what they stand for, you may think their ideas are vile, but it's so very important to remind yourself that if you try to squash their ability to express those ideas with speech, you're own right to express your ideology and opinions will be the next to go. You also may want to remember that just because you've stopped someone from saying something, doesn't mean they don't still think it. And that shit will fester like a boil.
It will eventually come to a head in a very ugly way because that's how human nature works and no amount of shushing and pretending will stop it.
I would rather be awkwardly uncomfortable because someone I disagree with has a platform than watch the eruption that will happen when the entire world ignites from one side of an argument that was silenced for too long.
Dude, everyone knows that's when the machines will take over!
Ok, about that ending.
I felt the spirit of Fonzie beside them as Guy & that odd little group of hobos jumped that shark on those train tracks. Am I alone or did anyone else think that whole thing was mighty random?
You've got sleepers hidden all over who've memorized books? What? You've 'figured out' how to unlock the magic photographic memory gene?
Ok. Sure.
Why not?
I also felt like that the killer robot dog was kind of a waste of an incredible idea. It started off like it was going to be super scary and play a huge part in the story and then...yeah, a little bit at the end. But it was kind of anticlimactic. <--to me
I guess I just expected more?
At the end of the day, I'm really glad I finally got around to this. It's definitely required reading, but on the upside, it's pretty short.
AND it's not as depressing as 1984, so there's that.
Publisher: ListenUp Audiobooks
Edition: Unabridged
Tim Robbins - Narrator
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Reading Progress
January 19, 2009
– Shelved
June 22, 2020
–
Started Reading
July 5, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 83 (83 new)
message 1:
by
Whitney
(new)
Jul 05, 2020 04:34PM
Great review!
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Whitney wrote: "Great review!"Thank you, Whitney!
Interesting you bring up 1984 and the censorship idea... I see the language they are creating in 1984 as a kind of censorship, especially since it is explicitly stated they are trying to make it so you can speak without thinking... I need to get to this as well!Great review Anne!
Great review, Anne. I had to smile at the part where you were talking about hermits and introverts not being the same. It's true. I'm an introvert and while I tend to avoid social gatherings, I love spending time with family and I have a small core group of friends with whom I interact. However. Hee hee. The other day, my sister, niece and I were talking about the repercussions if Trump is elected again. I said if I had the money, I'd move to Ireland. Pretty peaceful and I wouldn't need to learn a new language. My sister asked if I'd be able to understand people because of the accents and my hearing problem. I replied: "Probably not, but I'm not going to make friends." They busted up laughing. I just want to go somewhere quiet and be left in peace. My sister, who has visited Ireland, agreed people would be understanding regarding a hearing loss, but the first response out of my mouth struck us all as pretty funny.
"You may hate what someone says, you may hate what they stand for, you may think their ideas are vile, but it's so very important to remind yourself that if you try to squash their ability to express those ideas with speech, your own right to express your ideology and opinions will be the next to go."So very, very true. Brilliant
“I remember this wacky church youth group burning all their jeans because Jesus wanted the girls to wear dresses.”The fuck?
On another note, nice use of one of my favorite Archer gifs!
Also FUCK CENSORSHIP!
Jenny wrote: "Interesting you bring up 1984 and the censorship idea... I see the language they are creating in 1984 as a kind of censorship, especially since it is explicitly stated they are trying to make it so..."Thanks, Jenny! I think 1984 is a bleak look at complete forced censorship and this one is more of what happens when we willingly give up on deep thought. If that makes sense?
L. wrote: "“I remember this wacky church youth group burning all their jeans because Jesus wanted the girls to wear dresses.”The fuck?
On another note, nice use of one of my favorite Archer gifs!
Also FUCK C..."
True story, L! lol I swear, it was so weird but this girl was all happy because of tossing her jeans into the bonfire. Even her PARENTS thought it was stupid, but they had some dogmatic youth group leader. Needless to say, she grew up to be a weirdo. My high school BFF and I were laughing b/c she posted some nonsense on FB a few years ago about how the Minions movie had 'demonic undertones'. You can't make this shit up.
And yes, fuck censorship.
I remember some dumbass a few years ago warning people online that The LEGO Movie was Satanic propaganda...
Dario wrote: ""You may hate what someone says, you may hate what they stand for, you may think their ideas are vile, but it's so very important to remind yourself that if you try to squash their ability to expre..."I truly believe that. It seems like we're so divided today, but I hope we remember that letting everyone talk about why they feel the way they feel will be the fastest way to heal. Also, it would be nice to talk in person with people we disagree with. Stirring the pot on the internet with nasty comments has never changed anyone's mind or brought people together. It's a lot harder to be a quippy asshole when you're looking someone in the eye, and a lot easier to see where they're coming from. There's always a middle ground, you just have to breathe and look for it.
Laura wrote: "Great review, Anne. I had to smile at the part where you were talking about hermits and introverts not being the same. It's true. I'm an introvert and while I tend to avoid social gatherings, I lov..."Some of my best friends are introverts! It's hard to drag you guys to a party, though.
On the upside, you don't have to worry about introverts ghosting you for a more exciting friend because they'll never bother to make more exciting friends! lol
L. wrote: "I remember some dumbass a few years ago warning people online that The LEGO Movie was Satanic propaganda..."Yes. Apparently, there's a lot of Satanic propaganda out there. I grew up in a house like that, so I completely get the mentality. I think when you start nitpicking you can always find something that supports your viewpoint, whether it was intentional on the other person's part or not.
Loved your review and agree completely about censorship of speech; it worries me that as a society we are losing the ability to hear different opinions without anger or censorship. As a liberal who tries to be respectful of others, I used to hate the phrase "snowflake," but have reluctantly realized that does describe how some on the left react to speech they dislike. (Also, thanks for the reminder to bathe!)
Allie wrote: "Loved your review and agree completely about censorship of speech; it worries me that as a society we are losing the ability to hear different opinions without anger or censorship. As a liberal who..."I fall somewhere in the middle of everything and I think snowflake could be used to describe either side. The loudest on the different teams seem to also be the ones most easily butthurt. I honestly think the ones that argue and stir the pot on television or social media just want attention and approval from their peers. Otherwise, why not just try to make things better in a calm sensible way? Use your inside voice, man.
Liberals and conservatives both love censorship these days depending on who’s being censored. Either way I hate it and I agree that both are snowflakes. Far-right conservatives and far-left liberals don’t actually look too different from each other.
ahhh I remember HATING this book when we read it in high school. I don't remember why, though.
I love Bradbury but I didn’t love this book. It’s been 20 years now and I could have been wrong though I will use your review to consider I was likely right.
Al wrote: "I love Bradbury but I didn’t love this book. It’s been 20 years now and I could have been wrong though I will use your review to consider I was likely right."So, no re-read for you? Ha! I can't blame you. Once was enough.
L. wrote: "ahhh I remember HATING this book when we read it in high school. I don't remember why, though."Yeah, my boys read it in 10th grade or so. The thought it was stupid.
It's not high school if they don't have a list of boring books lined up for you.
L. wrote: "Liberals and conservatives both love censorship these days depending on who’s being censored. Either way I hate it and I agree that both are snowflakes. Far-right conservatives and far-left liberal..."I always assume that anytime someone can't let another person finish their sentence, it's because their argument is too thin to be completely valid. Otherwise, there's always room to hear what someone has to say.
Burning jeans? One can't help wondering what that church would've done, had someone reminded them that , eh, mendidn't wear pants either at the times of Jesus. And throughout most Biblical times. :)
Anne wrote: "L. wrote: "Liberals and conservatives both love censorship these days depending on who’s being censored. Either way I hate it and I agree that both are snowflakes. Far-right conservatives and far-l..."I agree!
☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ wrote: "Burning jeans? One can't help wondering what that church would've done, had someone reminded them that , eh, mendidn't wear pants either at the times of Jesus. And throughout most Biblical times. :)"Yeah, it was weird. She explained it to us by saying that their point was if you saw a woman in a dress or saw a woman wearing pants, which one would look the most like a modest Christian woman?
That thinking is flawed on so many levels that I really don't even know where to start with it, and we all just basically thought she was nuts at the time. <--which considering she thought the Minion movie was demonic, I think we can safely say we were right.
Hugely entertaining review and comments thread, Anne - woke me up from where I was falling asleep trying to write a good poem!The only comment I was going to make was to mention George Orwell - but you did that too! I think there is something in his idea that if the language is restricted then thought becomes so too, because there aren't the words for the concepts.
Sorry about the jeans - I take it you didn't burn yours? Weren't other people burning bras at the time?!
J C wrote: "Hugely entertaining review and comments thread, Anne - woke me up from where I was falling asleep trying to write a good poem!The only comment I was going to make was to mention George Orwell - bu..."
I think with this book, Bradbury used more of the idea that we gave up the books because they were offensive to certain people, and thing that are offensive make us sad, therefore those things that offend us must be inherently bad, and lets just put a stop to it all so that we can live in a utopia. And, duh, that doesn't happen.
I see this happening on both sides of the fence even now because people are convinced that their morals are The Right Way To Be.
People need to be free to be offended and to offend. Suck it up, buttercup. You can't legislate kindness, morality, or happiness.
With you there, Anne!Jeanne.
Another great review, Anne! I also think this is one of those books that are required of a reader but it still hasn't quite been the priority for me to read. And I love a great dystopian. Congrats on completing one more book from your personal TBR box 😉
Heather wrote: "Another great review, Anne! I also think this is one of those books that are required of a reader but it still hasn't quite been the priority for me to read. And I love a great dystopian. Congrats ..."Thanks, Heather. I feel like this is going to be a good year for me when it comes to knocking off some of my bucket list books.
But can we burn high-waisted mom jeans with pleats? Surely we can all agree those are an affront to people everywhere?
Allie wrote: "But can we burn high-waisted mom jeans with pleats? Surely we can all agree those are an affront to people everywhere?"I second that.
This was a boring read from what I remember and I also found it hard to believe that there were a good amount of people who could remember whole books?! I can't even remember majority of a book I read a couple of days ago. But regardless of all that, I do think this should be on everyone's bucket list of books to read. It's an important book and will always be relevant to our current time. If it's not books it's something else.
Allie wrote: "But can we burn high-waisted mom jeans with pleats? Surely we can all agree those are an affront to people everywhere?"Yes. Those need to die a fiery death! <--I owned a pair. Acid washed with the shit that folded down, you know what I mean?
Samuel wrote: "So funny, great review!"Thank you, Samuel!
Licha wrote: "This was a boring read from what I remember and I also found it hard to believe that there were a good amount of people who could remember whole books?! I can't even remember majority of a book I read a couple of days ago. ."Amen! I can't remember anything, either. But I think it's a must-read, as well.
I’m what most people would probably consider to be “far left” and I’m completely opposed to censorship. I think anyone should be allowed to think, say or write anything they want. I do think that a lot of the talk of “censorship” today is misapplied. Someone disagreeing with you, refusing to listen to what you say or even refusing to publish what you write isn’t censorship, it’s just disagreement. Just as everybody should be free to speak, everybody should also be free to respond or to ignore. Just because you’re free to speak, doesn’t mean there are no consequences for what you say. But those consequences can not be that the government muzzles you or locks you up.
Anne, NOTHING is as depressing as 1984. I really question the wisdom of having a bunch of depressed teenagers read books like 1984 and Lord of the Flies. Both of those put me into a spiral of "Who cares, we are all just going to DIE anyway!"
Your bit about the burning of jeans amused me. Because it doesn't surprise me. We have a church group that comes to where I work that wears long skirts and some form of modest shirt (actually, can I just say that to be truly "modest" in that whole "don't show your ankle" kind of way, wouldn't it also be just as well to wear some sort of baggy shirt, too?). I've been told that they don't like us in the bakery (and probably 98% of the women at work) because we wear pants and work. Which I don't understand. Like, your clothing choice doesn't automatically give you Jesus points and mine doesn't take away Jesus points. And I can't exactly twiddle my thumbs and wait for a man to sweep me off my feet. Been there, done that, ended up on top of a dumpster. 0/10 do not wish to repeat. I might hate my job, but I like having my own money and being *gasp* independent. I'm also reminded of how the anti-satan church people were all like "Oh my word, The Golden Compass promotes atheism" or whatever. As an adult, I read it and I was like "where?" Just because your little brain has a high alert on "bad things", doesn't mean the bad things are exactly what you think they are. Symbolism is mostly what your english literature teacher wants you to think it is.
Omg everyone seems to love this book, I am glad I stumbled upon your review and I agree with all that you said here. The world building didn't make a whole lot of sense, the ending was flat, the characters not likeable, the conflict was not written properly. The language of the book as a whole was veryyy boring to me. As a fan of dystopia myself, this has been a disappointment both times i gave it a chance, but as u mentioned it is a book that every reader feels like they must read and thank God now it's over for me
Amanda wrote: "Anne, NOTHING is as depressing as 1984. I really question the wisdom of having a bunch of depressed teenagers read books like 1984 and Lord of the Flies. Both of those put me into a spiral of "Who ..."YES! I agree. Why give angst-ridden teens books about the futility of life? lol
Lubna wrote: "Omg everyone seems to love this book, I am glad I stumbled upon your review and I agree with all that you said here. The world building didn't make a whole lot of sense, the ending was flat, the ch..."Yeah, it seems like one of those books where the idea behind the novel (book burning) is what catapulted it into classic status. Neither the plot nor the characters were remotely interesting.
Pearce wrote: "I’m what most people would probably consider to be “far left” and I’m completely opposed to censorship. I think anyone should be allowed to think, say or write anything they want. I do think that a..."I'm firmly in the middle with friends on both side, and I think at the end of the day everyone is exactly the same whether they want to admit it or not. And all of them would rather stick a fork in their eye than admit it. lol
Rea wrote: "And I can't exactly twiddle my thumbs and wait for a man to sweep me off my feet. Been there, done that, ended up on top of a dumpster. 0/10 do not wish to repeat. "Ahahahhahaha! Oh, god. Yeah, I don't see why you can't just move back in with your parents and wait for the right man to come along and save you? Tsk.
Anne wrote: "L. wrote: "ahhh I remember HATING this book when we read it in high school. I don't remember why, though."Yeah, my boys read it in 10th grade or so. The thought it was stupid.
It's not high schoo..."
Wow, never noticed how confusing it would be when 2 people with the same name are in the same comment section... 😆
Anne wrote: "L. wrote: "Liberals and conservatives both love censorship these days depending on who’s being censored. Either way I hate it and I agree that both are snowflakes. Far-right conservatives and far-l..."
Seriously. So many conversation I’ve had IRL (or even texting because they start sending 5 angry texts at once) with someone I’d consider very liberal or conservative have been like this. Admittedly I sometimes fuck up with this but it’s CONSTANT for the far left or right.
Rea wrote: "Your bit about the burning of jeans amused me. Because it doesn't surprise me. We have a church group that comes to where I work that wears long skirts and some form of modest shirt (actually, can ..."
I wish I had an app that actually told me how many Jesus points I had.
You get all the Jesus points, L!
...AND it's not as depressing as 1984, so there's that.Haha not sure how I missed this review! I tend to agree throughout, though as a Canadian also allow me to heap the scorn over the use of Fahrenheit degrees in the title. Jeebus save us all from antiquated systems of weights and measures...
Haha! Yeah, but Celsius 232.78 just doesn't have the same dramatic ring to it.
Granted, but Kelvin 505.9 is pretty bad-ass.
Kelvin 505.9 sounds like a soft rock radio station.
I hope to go into high rotation, then! LOL
