Book Review: Fahrenheit 451

Susan Orlean, in The Library Book, highlighted Ray Bradbury's claim of being library-educated. I relished her story of how he composed Fahrenheit 451 on the typewriters for rent at a library for 10 cents per half hour. (Aside: As a writer, I'm sure the timer on the typewriters increased Bradbury's productivity and drove him to get it down in a timely manner.) And I determined then to remedy my oversight of that book. Oh, I had heard about it. Had even received recommendations several times, but it never made it into my lap until now. Thankfully, my library had an audio version of the classic. After listening to it myself several weeks ago, I discovered my son's class is reading the book. Thus, I am listening to it all over again during our drives to and from the ranch. I am grateful for further conversations it may prompt with my son.

In case you've ignored recommendations and or held off, Fahrenheit 451 offers a future society where firemen don't put out fires. Instead, they burn forbidden books. Fireman Guy Montag and his wife Millie have been living anesthetized lives, the ultimate goal in that society. Millie clamors for yet another wall-sized screen so she can view her shows. Then a neighbor girl awakens within Guy a desire for books and knowledge. Flouting his own role, he hides several books in his ventilator grill. Then he shares his secret. Before he knows it, he is called upon to burn his own house and books. In a desperate attempt to avoid arrest, Guy flees on foot. He joins a group of intellectual fugitives who have memorized important books in the hope that society will once again recognize their value.

In reading this tale, I felt one finger pointed at me and several pointing in the opposite direction, supporting my perspectives. I have, myself, complained about the content of books, wishing away the foul language, the explicit sex scenes, the constant inclusion of immorality posed as good. It is hard not to desire sanitized versions when so much filth proliferates these days. I decry that progression. Yet Bradbury's argument actually supports my feelings. If current publishers (as Bradbury himself acknowledges in the afterward sections of this 2004 production by Books on Tape) censor what they provide the public in books and stories, they are altering an author's presentation to make it more palatable for their viewpoint. In one instance, Bradbury claims they rejected one story because it contains "only men, no women."

What a predicament we are in! Isn't it censorship when so many literary agents will only accept and promote books that contain elements to fit their agenda? Publishers, too, feel a need to encourage society in particular directions, so they proliferate literature that supports their worldview. I believe they are even injecting content that authors have not included, making sure they fairly represent certain groups, controlling content to make sure it is politically correct. Literature has always reflected the mores of society. Is it any wonder that as our society slips further and further into rebellion against God and His directives, so our books reflect this decline?

Fahrenheit 451 reveals the battle that rages within me. Even though I readily admit the value of some books that contain what I find offensive, I personally want to censor out the profuse garbage in modern books. Yet, I equally agree that censorship is harmful (especially the opposing censorship that seeks to justify and control what perspectives are pushed in books). Bradbury has so many good things to say at the end of this book (although I did not have time to go back and listen to jot down his well-articulated ideas). Needless to say, this is a book that will generate plenty of thought. 

Books are doors into the mind of another. They help us expand our understanding of the world. Like all good gifts from God, we can handle them for good or for ill. My goal is to use books in a way that is God-honoring. I am grateful for the opportunity to make my own choices about what I read, and equally grateful that books offer such a wide variety to consume. I don't think I'd have it in me to burn a book, even one presenting an argument that conflicts with my personal perspectives. But, when I look at our current society, I fear we are heading further on the road to censorship, as any opposing perspectives are clamped shut so that only "acceptable" narratives are presented.