This year, I set a reading goal to get some of the “should reads” off of my TBR shelf. My “should read” books are the classics that I felt as if I should have read in high school or college. My goal for 2019 is to get 12 of those book titles off of my TBR list and onto my ‘Read’ Shelf by reading one title a month.
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January’s pick was Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
February’s pick was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
March’s pick was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
And April’s pick is…….. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Radbury!
Why I chose this book:
#1 – My son read this book in high school this year, and I thought it would be interesting to read and discuss it with him.
#2 – I have always been fascinated by why people feel they should ban books. What if they were successful? What would life be like?
#3 – I thought this was a clever convincer: TedEd Animation: Why should you read Fahrenheit 451?
What is the story about? (summary from Amazon)
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.
Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television ‘family’. But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people did not live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.
When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
Here are some questions (taken from Lit Lovers) I will be thinking about as I read:
One suicide and one near-suicide occur in this book. One woman, who shuns books but loves TV and driving fast in her car, anesthetizes herself,; “We get these cases nine or ten a night,” says the medical technician. Another woman, who cherishes her books, sets herself on fire with them; “These fanatics always try suicide,” says the fire captain. Why would two people who seem to be so different from each other try to take their own lives? Why does suicide happen so frequently in Montag’s society?”
Why do you think the firemen’s rulebook credited Benjamin Franklin—writer, publisher, political leader, inventor, ambassador—as being the first fireman?
Montag turns to books to rescue him; instead they help demolish his life- -he loses his wife, job and home; he kills a man and is forced to be a nomad. Does he gain any benefits from books? If so, what are they?
Since the government is so opposed to readers, thinkers, walkers, and slow drivers, why does it allow the procession of men along the railroad tracks to exist?
Once Montag becomes a violent revolutionary, why does the government purposely capture an innocent man in his place instead of tracking down the real Montag? Might the government believe that Montag is no longer a threat?
How this will work:
Throughout the month, I will be posting quotes, thoughts about the book and answers to some of the questions above on Instagram.
You can join me by following me @bookishinspiration or the hashtag #BIyearofclassics
On April 29, I will post about my reading of Fahrenheit 451 on my blog. This will include my thoughts about the book, answers to some of the questions above, and other “research” I conducted around the book or the author throughout the month.
I hope that you will enjoy reading along with me and discussing the book, or at least following along on my classics adventure!
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Thanks for visiting the blog today. Until next time, happy reading!
I read Fahrenheit 451 at school, just like your son. It is a great book.
Regarding people banning books, I am always a little puzzled at these banned books lists you can regularly see on the Internet. For most of the books there, I do not see why anyone would want to ban them at all.
I agree. Baffling why people would want to keep good books out of kids’ hands. Looking forward to reading Fahrenheit 451!