A disturbing book by Ray Bradbury. A warning for modern times, written in the 50's. It's unsettling to see how much of what he wrote about is happening now. From the censorship of books and media, to the lack of compassion for others and the acceptance of violence and government control. The book is definitely heavy handed in it's tone, but that's acceptable, over-exaggerate to emphasize the absurdity.
It's interesting to see how influential this book is on books and movies to follow it. At the time it was written, these issue must have been a concern, considering Nazi book burning, and censorship, but something that couldn't happen again. But with the Patriot Act and the desensitizing of the average person, it seems so much more tangible. It wasn't so long ago that something like Ultimate Fighting was banned and disgusted, but now it seems so main stream. Married with Children (1987) was considered offensive and swearing on TV wasn't accepted, but slowly over time it has become part of the current culture. Dirty magazines were relegated to the back row on magazine racks and didn't feature anything more than naked bodies, and that was protested until recently. It's odd how you don't realize how much things have changed.
It makes me wonder how much further it can go. Will gladiator fights, public executions, nudity, sex, etc, become accepted and demanded on TV. Will the public reject knowledge, books, news, fear, awareness for an ambivalence or blissful ignorance. Will the government take this and use it to control the populous.
Fahrenheit 451 warns of great trouble, but also of hope for those who chose it.
4 out of 5
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