What do you think?
Rate this book
A Timeless Classic: Fahrenheit 451 by R.Bradbury's Collection
Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of Guy Montag and his transformation from a book-burning fireman to a book-reading rebel. Montag lives in an oppressive society that attempts to eliminate all sources of complexity, contradiction, and confusion to ensure uncomplicated happiness for all its citizens.
- GenresScience Fiction
Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 13, 2025
I did not read the Kindle Edition, but this was the closest I could find to the paperback, 60th Anniversary Edition that I actually read. The first copyright was in 1951 & renewed a number of times. I know I didn't read it in '51, given that I was still learning to talk then, but I did read SO long ago that it was almost like reading a new (to me) book.
Where to start? You know the general outline: Montag was a fireman, i.e. a book burner, by occupation. (Houses were now fireproof, so the old job of firemen was obsolete.) And he enjoyed it, watching flames consume books, the pages flying about, and the houses in which these books had been found. (Yes, this is a bit of a contradiction to the fireproof houses, but, hey.) Then he meets a young woman, a neighbor, who enjoys walking outdoors, observing the world around her, thinking about things. This is bizarre behavior in a society where people are surrounded (literally) by screens, filled with video stories whenever turned on. Montag's wife is glued to these, refers to the characters as her family. Yes, this is a pathetic society, prescient, but how far fetched, really, when so many of us are glued to our handheld screens for hours on end? In any event he begins to be uncomfortable in ways he can't quite grasp.
He has a secret hidden in an air vent in his home that sometimes makes him uneasy. And he becomes unable to square his thinking with his job. He does not go on the offensive immediately or directly, but does put himself in a position to draw attention, to be seen as not necessarily trustworthy.
He meets a kindred spirit, by chance. He takes some chances. Drama ensues and I am not going to tell you about that or about how it ends. If you don't remember from your earlier reading, just grab the book! Let me just say that, as in some of the best dystopian fiction, there are glimmers of hope.
For context, Bradbury is opposed to all forms of totalitarianism and is one of those people of the opinion that the far right and far left are the same. It seems he began this work during Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union and first published it during McCarthyism in the U.S.
Obviously, we are not burning books right now, though some have suggested it. But elements of this nation certainly are banning them, mostly in schools, but also in some libraries. Yes, books are becoming seen as dangerous, things that at least some should be protected from. This book clearly is relevant, possibly necessary, today.
Where to start? You know the general outline: Montag was a fireman, i.e. a book burner, by occupation. (Houses were now fireproof, so the old job of firemen was obsolete.) And he enjoyed it, watching flames consume books, the pages flying about, and the houses in which these books had been found. (Yes, this is a bit of a contradiction to the fireproof houses, but, hey.) Then he meets a young woman, a neighbor, who enjoys walking outdoors, observing the world around her, thinking about things. This is bizarre behavior in a society where people are surrounded (literally) by screens, filled with video stories whenever turned on. Montag's wife is glued to these, refers to the characters as her family. Yes, this is a pathetic society, prescient, but how far fetched, really, when so many of us are glued to our handheld screens for hours on end? In any event he begins to be uncomfortable in ways he can't quite grasp.
He has a secret hidden in an air vent in his home that sometimes makes him uneasy. And he becomes unable to square his thinking with his job. He does not go on the offensive immediately or directly, but does put himself in a position to draw attention, to be seen as not necessarily trustworthy.
He meets a kindred spirit, by chance. He takes some chances. Drama ensues and I am not going to tell you about that or about how it ends. If you don't remember from your earlier reading, just grab the book! Let me just say that, as in some of the best dystopian fiction, there are glimmers of hope.
For context, Bradbury is opposed to all forms of totalitarianism and is one of those people of the opinion that the far right and far left are the same. It seems he began this work during Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union and first published it during McCarthyism in the U.S.
Obviously, we are not burning books right now, though some have suggested it. But elements of this nation certainly are banning them, mostly in schools, but also in some libraries. Yes, books are becoming seen as dangerous, things that at least some should be protected from. This book clearly is relevant, possibly necessary, today.
March 27, 2026
The most important book that I read. After reading for the first time, way back when, I fell in love with the genre. Science Fiction stories are timeless, cautionary tales that remain relevant beyond the author's time on this earth. My passion to write my own books started here within these pages. If you haven't read this classic, do yourself a favor, unplug from technology and take in this book through reading. Actual reading. No audio book reader or recorded narration. See and read with your eyes only. No screens needed. Feel the paper pages in your hand. And if the Firemen come, what will do; conform or rebel against tyranny.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews