A Future That I Couldn't Survive

So, another day, another book. I'm back on my kick of reading books that I should have read in high school and I chose an all time favorite for all, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I had never read it before but the premise had always intrigued me. The story started out kind of slow but I kept with it and now I'm so glad that I did. There was action, suspense, murder, science fiction; everything a good story should have.
So, the reason I named this blog " A Future I Couldn't Survive" is because of what the book is about. The book is about a "fireman" named Guy Montag. He's not a fireman that we're used to; you know,the kind that put out fires but the kind that STARTS them. Yes, that's right! He starts them but what does he burn? He burns BOOKS! This is why I said that I could not survive in this future. The book is set in the future where reading and owning books is illegal. Everyone gets their information from wall to wall screens that cover every wall in the living room or parlor. The reason that books are illegal to own is because they make people unhappy. Stories, poems, plays etc. don't always tell of good fortune or happy endings. Some are very real and have unfortunate situtations in them. So, the people who made the laws in the book, the government, decided that books only confused and brought misery to the readers, so they banned any type of reading . How crazy is that! I love to read, obviously since I started a blog about books. I could never live in a time where reading was not allowed.
The other thing that got me was the part of the big screens that cover every wall and what was being played on them. These screens showed "people" or what the book called the family, going about their business like in real life. Does that sound familiar to anyone? hmm...reality tv perhaps? It was just interesting how some of the things that go on in the book resonate today, 50 years after the original publishing of the book.
it's a great read for someone who likes complicated and out of this world plots. Not a hard read but one that must have a little bit of time invested into it. Very science fiction so if science fiction isn't really your deal, I would still recommend it but I wouldn't be surprised if it's hard for you to get through. But I enjoyed it. A future without books, how CRAZY!