WOW Farenheit 451

[choirfarm]

I just finished reading this book as I hadn't ever read it and the boys have to read it for TOG next year. WOW...it describes so much of what has already happened in our society. So much of the technology he describes we have and it is doing exactly what he describes: making everyone speed up their lives and lose their ability to think and interact. WOW..

 

Christine

[Ester Maria]

You remind me of my daughter who also discovered it recently. :D

I agree, some great points in there.

[8filltheheart]

An interesting/ironic tidbit about that book.......did you know that there is actually a censored version?

 

Here is a brief summary: http://newsletter.library.villanova.edu/147

 

In a novel of approximately one hundred and fifty pages, seventy-five passages were modified. Two episodes were actually changed. In one episode, a drunken man is changed to a sick man. In another, cleaning fluff out of a human naval becomes, in the expurgated version, cleaning ears.

 

The expurgations went unnoticed because readers did not compare this version to the original. The copyright page did not indicate any edits. The expurgated version ran for ten printings.

 

I agree.....great book that all teens should read.

[cathmom]

I've been meaning to read this.

[elegantlion]

I read it last year and immediately turned around and read it to ds. It created some wonderful discussion about books, technology, and TV.

 

We talked about how I prefer printed books over e-books. One of the issues was the possibility of editing without author approval. I have several antique books and we pulled them out and read passages. It was awesome to read these words from books that were over 100 years old, some from the 1870s, and how that was the words they intended.

 

Shortly after that ds quit watching stupid TV shows so much, without a word from me.

 

It's now one of my favorite books and made Bradbury one of my favorite authors. There are so many layers to the book, you could spend months in discussion.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

DS read a novel *about* Farhenheit 451 this year in his French class. This new novel is entitled "Death of all books" or something similar ("Virus Lv 1 Ou La Mort Des Livres") The heroine's favourite book is Farhenheit 451.

 

It will be on our list of books to read either this summer or next year.

[MamaT]

My oldest dd and I read it together this past school year. I agree, it is a very thought-provoking book.

[laughing lioness]

We read it last year- very thought provoking. We also rented the video. It's older and cheesy and time warped but adds another dimension if you have time.

I've loved Bradbury since I was in 8th grade and my English teacher read "The Martian Chronicles" to us every day after lunch but before the actual "lesson" started. How cool is that?

[Stacy in NJ]

Aldous Huxley

 

Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=brave+new+world&sprefix=brave+new

 

I read Fahrenheit, Brave New World, and 1984 in an AP English class in HS. Brave New World strikes me as currently the most prophetic.

Edited June 19, 2010 by Stacy in NJ
link

[Michelle in AL]

A good Documentary to accompany this is "Digital Nation." It's not a dry documentary, and cites actual research into how the digital age is affecting our brains.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I agree about some of the technology that has happened. The Ipod like things in the ears where music plays constantly (I forget what they are called in the books), the tvs that cover entire walls, the reality like shows, the only difference is that the viewer becomes a character (but I see that could happen fairly soon, it sort of has a little bit with the Wii).

[JennW in SoCal]

Aren't the ear buds called shells in the book?

 

I felt like the book was a manifesto in favor of homeschooling. Clarisse and her family come across exactly the way homeschoolers and their families are perceived today -- oddballs who enjoy books and family time and conversation. I feel sometimes that we who homeschool are the keepers of books.

[Kristin in Hawaii]

I re-read 451 and then read BNW recently -- followed by Atlas Shrugged -- talk about a sobering couple of months. Definitely content for high-school aged and above. Wow.

 

Eyes wide open in Hawaii :blink:

[Alphabetika]

Yes, isn't it incredible! My 16yo dd has read it a few times and she is always struck by the points you make. Now, if you're ready for something even more intense, go read George Orwell's 1984.

[Jeannie in NJ]

with my 3,000 plus books, my house would be so burned by those firemen

[hsmomto5]

reading this today. I agree, WOW! We too would so be torched by the "fireman".

Lora in NC

[Joan in GE]

We just finished going through the Progeny Press study guide and book last week. Very helpful.

 

Good discussion launcher...

 

Joan

[MBM]

We enjoyed M.T. Anderson's book Feed which has a similar message and could be used as a follow up. The dialogue includes cuss words, though, including the f-bomb, for those of you who try to avoid them. One of the characters (Violet) is homeschooled.

 

Count me a Ray Bradbury fan, too.

[Hunter's Moon]

This book was thought-provoking and really had me thinking about the future.

 

Today, I saw a tidbit on the news about the government wanting as much control over our internet that the Chinese government has over China's internet. They said with that control, they could shut down the internet during states of emergency to protect us from an Internet terrorist.

 

In my opinion, another way to control us but that's just me :)

[Donna A.]

This book was thought-provoking and really had me thinking about the future.

 

Today, I saw a tidbit on the news about the government wanting as much control over our internet that the Chinese government has over China's internet. They said with that control, they could shut down the internet during states of emergency to protect us from an Internet terrorist.

 

In my opinion, another way to control us but that's just me :)

 

Completely agreeing with this. I see it coming.

 

You know this has already started... I mean, we're on the path. Y'all know about the CPSIA law that went into affect last year, right? It affected books in libraries and thrift shops due the *remote* possibility of there being lead in the ink of those old classics.... you know that old classics that aren't PC. :tongue_smilie: Thus, our library (large library system in a large metro area) has done a MASSIVE weeding out over the past year and a half, and we now can't get nearly as many books as we used to. Some have been replaced with only the newer print versions (made PC), and some completely removed.

 

Around the same time all this was happening, I was read somewhere that Bill Gates had donated I don't know how many millions to library systems across the country to add more computers. This required that library make more space for computers... thus removing real books and bookshelves. :glare:

 

That's why, even in this small house, I still prefer to BUY real books whenever possible, even if they're available on the internet. A) I just don't know how long we'll have free access to those e-books (either because of censorship/removal, or because of internet terrorism), and B) if I don't buy our own copies to keep, they may cease to be found altogether.

 

Quick question here... I've heard that if one reads Farenheit 451 first, then Animal Farm is easier to understand, or vice versa. Or 1984? I can't recall which order it's recommended these be read. Does anyone know? Or does it really matter? Dh and I have read 1984, and Animal Farm is on my dd's reading list for next year. Wondering if I should have her read something in particular before Animal Farm.

 

F. 451 is definitely on the list, too.

[Oney Jones]

I've heard this is one amazing book. We are reading The Giver right now and so many red flags there too! Good discussion material for around the dinner table... oh... wait... would that be considered Feeling Time?

[AuntieM]

Completely agreeing with this. I see it coming.

 

You know this has already started... I mean, we're on the path. Y'all know about the CPSIA law that went into affect last year, right? It affected books in libraries and thrift shops due the *remote* possibility of there being lead in the ink of those old classics.... you know that old classics that aren't PC. :tongue_smilie: Thus, our library (large library system in a large metro area) has done a MASSIVE weeding out over the past year and a half, and we now can't get nearly as many books as we used to. Some have been replaced with only the newer print versions (made PC), and some completely removed.

 

Around the same time all this was happening, I was read somewhere that Bill Gates had donated I don't know how many millions to library systems across the country to add more computers. This required that library make more space for computers... thus removing real books and bookshelves. :glare:

 

That's why, even in this small house, I still prefer to BUY real books whenever possible, even if they're available on the internet. A) I just don't know how long we'll have free access to those e-books (either because of censorship/removal, or because of internet terrorism), and B) if I don't buy our own copies to keep, they may cease to be found altogether.

 

Quick question here... I've heard that if one reads Farenheit 451 first, then Animal Farm is easier to understand, or vice versa. Or 1984? I can't recall which order it's recommended these be read. Does anyone know? Or does it really matter? Dh and I have read 1984, and Animal Farm is on my dd's reading list for next year. Wondering if I should have her read something in particular before Animal Farm.

 

F. 451 is definitely on the list, too.

 

 

I read F451 for the first time last year, right around the time the lead-in-ink flap was causing libraries around the country to discard a lot of "contaminated" books. Talk about give me the chills!

 

Thanks also for the suggestions regarding what order to read these titles (BNW, AF, F451, etc). That's very helpful!

[Mejane]

I felt the same way about Animal Farm when I reread that last year.

[*~Tina~*]

I recently read Animal Farm and LOVED IT! My favorite of the year so far :)

 

Thus, after reading the chatter hear, I added a couple new books to my 2010 list, including Fahrenheit 451, which I began reading yesterday and finished this morning. Eerie book, particulary considering the CPSIA ruling and the invention of things like electronic readers that rely not on "print" but technology advancements.

 

It brings to mind the quote I often see floating around. . .

 

A government big enough to give you anything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson

 

Doesn't that about sum it up?

 

Now here's a totally unrelated book recommendation, but the stealing and hiding of books brought it to mind. . .The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Another favorite of mine that I'll be rereading this summer.

 

Blessings,

¸.·´ .·´¨¨))

((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Tina ~

-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*

http://seasonsoflearning.blogspot.com/

[Donna A.]

It brings to mind the quote I often see floating around. . .

 

A government big enough to give you anything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson

 

Doesn't that about sum it up?

 

Yep.

 

I think Jefferson was a Libertarian before the term was created. :lol:

[*~Tina~*]

Clarisse and her family come across exactly the way homeschoolers and their families are perceived today -- oddballs who enjoy books and family time and conversation. I feel sometimes that we who homeschool are the keepers of books.

 

:iagree: Great observation.

 

Blessings,

¸.·´ .·´¨¨))

((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:-Tina ~

-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*

http://seasonsoflearning.blogspot.com/

[Saille]

We enjoyed M.T. Anderson's book Feed which has a similar message and could be used as a follow up. The dialogue includes cuss words, though, including the f-bomb, for those of you who try to avoid them. One of the characters (Violet) is homeschooled.

 

Count me a Ray Bradbury fan, too.

 

Feed is one of the few books I prefer in its audiobook format. The ensemble cast really makes the "feed" come alive. It would also be a good way to get a reluctant reader to step up to Bradbury et al.

 

Fahrenheit 451 was released in graphic novel format last year, approved by Ray Bradbury. My ds8 heard the news story and asked for a copy, so we own it. The intro is fun. Bradbury says that, looking back at his inspirations, this is basically a walk that became a short story that became a novella that became a novel that became a graphic novel.

[Snickerdoodle]

Don't miss the 1966 movie version as well.

 

http://www.zuguide.com/#Fahrenheit-451

[Oney Jones]

Completely agreeing with this. I see it coming.

 

You know this has already started... I mean, we're on the path. Y'all know about the CPSIA law that went into affect last year, right? It affected books in libraries and thrift shops due the *remote* possibility of there being lead in the ink of those old classics.... you know that old classics that aren't PC. :tongue_smilie: Thus, our library (large library system in a large metro area) has done a MASSIVE weeding out over the past year and a half, and we now can't get nearly as many books as we used to. Some have been replaced with only the newer print versions (made PC), and some completely removed.

 

Around the same time all this was happening, I was read somewhere that Bill Gates had donated I don't know how many millions to library systems across the country to add more computers. This required that library make more space for computers... thus removing real books and bookshelves. :glare:

 

That's why, even in this small house, I still prefer to BUY real books whenever possible, even if they're available on the internet. A) I just don't know how long we'll have free access to those e-books (either because of censorship/removal, or because of internet terrorism), and B) if I don't buy our own copies to keep, they may cease to be found altogether.

Quick question here... I've heard that if one reads Farenheit 451 first, then Animal Farm is easier to understand, or vice versa. Or 1984? I can't recall which order it's recommended these be read. Does anyone know? Or does it really matter? Dh and I have read 1984, and Animal Farm is on my dd's reading list for next year. Wondering if I should have her read something in particular before Animal Farm.

 

F. 451 is definitely on the list, too.

 

It's rather like the frog sitting in the hot water, isn't it? Things are being done ever so slightly that we don't realize what is really happening. Frightening.

 

Regarding the part of your post I bolded: Here I've been selling books (good books!) left and right and I truly believe(d) that books--any title-- will be available in the future. I'm not so convinced of that right now.

 

I'm a student of information and library science and one of the biggest issues librarians face is censorship--either inadvertent censorship from so called social/environmental directives like the CPSIA issue or other librarians censoring and not realizing it based on their personal beliefs. It's going to be interesting for sure.

[glennis_b]

I'm trying to read 1984 ,but it is depressing me.

Edited June 24, 2010 by glennis_b
spelling error

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I'm trying to read 1984 ,but it is depressing me.

 

I liked/loved The Giver trilogy, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Ender's Game, Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but I couldn't stomach 1984. Really, really hated that book.