Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 is a inspirational book based in a dystopian future. In this world, people are not allowed to read books. If people are found with books, their houses are burnt down by the firemen (they no longer have to fight fires-they start them). The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman. After an average (and seemingly satisfying) day of burning down book-bearing houses, he meets a young school-girl named Clarisse. She is different from other people. She doesn't drive at neck-breaking speeds, watch the parlor walls (future TV rooms), listen to seashells (Earbuds that constantly feed information to the listener), or accept everything that is normal in society. Unlike other kids, Clarisse loves nature, long conversations with family, and knowledge. In her conversations with Montag, she leads him to question the world he lives in and his own happiness. After Clarisse's sudden disappearance and the attempted suicide of Montag's hollow wife, Montag begins to hide books in his home. He is discovered and is forced to run for his life.

The book was written by Ray Bradbury in the 1950s to caution further generations. He noticed many news stories of teenagers who drove dangerously fast. Bradbury's inspiration for burning books was the increase in TVs in American homes. He was afraid that the increase in TV would cause no one to read books anymore. The main moral of the story (although there are many lessons to be taken) is that humanity's most powerful skill is to learn from history. We build on mistakes and don't make them again. Burning books is literally to burning knowledge about history. Reading books is like remembering and honoring people who explored before you.

I really enjoyed this book and it let me look at books and the modern world a little differently.