Back once again to thwart the efforts of people who enjoy censorship, here is another book that has been banned, and why you should read it.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 2.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 1.

(3)Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

What This Book is About

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job, in this dystopia of a world, is to start fires,not to put them out. He and the other firemen get calls that direct them to which houses they are supposed to go burn down. Why choose those particular houses? Simple! Those houses belong to people who have gathered up and hidden away lots and lots of a very dangerous substance that the government does not want the general population to be infected with. The substance in question is books! All books are banned and destroyed. People found with books are also destroyed, often by the fireman at the scene of the crime.

So, basically, Bradbury has created a world that is my personal version of Hell itself.

This is a world set “in the future” where no one is allowed to read, or own, or even talk about, books. Instead, people sit in front of large screens and watch funny shows. They spend their waking (and sleeping) hours listening to music and random noises that they can hear through a small device that fits directly into their ears. No one communicates with friends or family anymore, substituting instead the characters they watch on their big screens. Most people have no concept of historic events, and even less idea of what their government is doing right now. They are told about “the war”, (which never seems to end), but, for the most part, are kept from hearing too much about it. Sound frighteningly familiar to anyone else?

Guy, of course, eventually becomes curious. What’s in these books that is supposed to be so terrible? Almost subconsciously, he takes one book away with him from a fire. Eventually, he’s got his own horde of books to be worried about. Will his wife find them? Will she turn him in? What will happen to him if he’s caught? Guy begins reading some of the books! The result is that Guy not only begins to think for himself (horror of horrors!), but he also starts to believe that the government is wrong! People should read! His choices after this epiphany lead him on an exciting chase through the rest of the story.

Oh, and in case anyone reading this did not already know, the title itself is interesting. Fahrenheit 451 is the exact temperature at which paper begins to burn.

Why This Book Gets Banned

People wish to keep other people from reading a book that is not only about governmental censorship, but also about actually burning the questionable books! Are they even capable of seeing the irony?

Some parent’s feel that Fahrenheit 451 should not be part of a school’s curriculum because it contains swear words. They especially are offended by the words that they feel go against their religious beliefs, because the words “take the name of the Lord in vain”. Others are offended by the books use of “dirty talk”, the situations that involve drinking and/or smoking, and the violent scenes depicted in the book.

One parent in Houston felt so strongly about this book, he demanded it be removed from the curriculum….. during Banned Books week.

I kid you not!

I’m not convinced that this man was actually educated enough to realize when Banned Books week was, or that one even existed. It would likely be beyond this particular irate parent’s mental capacity to understand why we need a Banned Book week in the first place. So, instead of this being a big stunt to attract attention to his cause, he managed to make himself look like a complete idiot. Priceless!

There is an interesting twist about censorship and Fahrenheit 451 that I did not realize until I was reading the notes included at the end of the book (in the version I picked up, at least). Seems that Ballentine Books was using a censored version of this story in textbooks published for high schools. It did this for years, and without the permission of Bradbury!

You can read more details about that here.

Why You Should Read This Book

With our nation of cell phone, ipods, and citizens who are more likely to vote for their choice of “American Idol” than for their choice of American President, this book has never been more relevant! Read it to see just how far we could fall, if no one decides to stand up for books, and history, and ideas not sponsored and spoon-fed to us by the government. Read this book because you agree that the ability to think for yourself, and the ability to act on those thoughts is important! Or, just read it because it happens to be a great story, that includes fires, destruction, and an epic chase through the countryside. This book shares important ideas, and those ideas should not be cast aside simply because a few unsavory words were included in the text.

Action, adventure, and true love! What more could you want?

This is one of my favorite books. This must be my third or fourth rereading of it. I love the movie to death, and can’t even count the number of times I have watched it. It makes me happy.

The version of the book I just read is the 30th anniversary edition. It includes an introduction with details about how and why Goldman decided to write “the good parts” version of S. Morgenstern’s “classic tale of true love and high adventure”. When Goldman was a little boy, and very sick, his father read him this story. (Which is reflected in the movie version). This edition of the book also includes details about the much awaited sequel “Buttercup’s Baby”, (and even the first finished chapter). Fans of this story will enjoy all these little extras.

It’s very hard for me to imagine that anyone reading this does not know this story, and has not seen the movie at least once. But, just in case that is you, dear reader, here is what it’s all about. Buttercup lives on a farm with her parents, is stunningly beautiful, and completely ignorant of that fact. There is a guy who helps out around the farm, whom she calls “Farm Boy” and orders around for years and years. Eventually, Buttercup wakes up to the fact that she loves him, and that he loves her. (The book gives more details than the movie did). Instead of living happily ever after, Westley, (”Farm Boy”s real name), leaves, to make his fortune. He gets killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and Buttercup is completely heartbroken.

Years later, the Prince comes by, and out of the blue, asks Buttercup to marry him. They agree that it’s not at all important if she loves him or not (she doesn’t), and so, she accepts. What else is she to do, anyway? But, before the wedding takes place, she gets kidnapped by Fezzik (a giant), Inigo (a great swordsman), and Vizzini (a brilliant Cicilian dwarf). They are followed by a mysterious “man in black”, who just might be the Dread Pirate Roberts. The chase is on. Will the Prince save Buttercup, or will the kidnappers be able to put their nefarious plot into motion? Who is this “man in black”, anyhow? Will there be a “happily ever after”? You just have to read it to see.

If you are a fan of the movie, you will love this book, even though you already know how it ends. The movie was so well cast that you can still see the actors as you read the book. In addition to the extras before and after the story, the book includes lots of details that the movie left out. There is even a web site you can go to if you would like to read “the reunion scene”, (a scene left out of the movie, and also left out of Morganstern’s original text).

This is the book that brought us such great quotes as:

“As you wish.”
and
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”
and
“Never get involved in a land war in Asia”
and
“You keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

and the movie gives us:
“Have fun storming the castle!”

The title of this book continues with “True Tales of The Dorkiest Girl Alive”, which sums up the book quite nicely. Here we have another collection of hysterically funny stories, that actually happened to Notaro. I enjoy reading Notaro’s books while on a plane. The short little chapters are great for reading while traveling, and all are amusing enough to take my mind off my deathly fear of flying while I am reading them.

Some of the stories I found especially humorous in this book involved traveling by airplane. There’s the one about the space hog in front of her who insisted on reclining her seat into Notaro’s space. There’s the one about her being trapped in the airport, waiting for the flight to board, with a bunch of teenage Japanese basketball players. There are some great stories about strange things that happened while she was on her book tour. It’s not all about travel, though. Some stories are about the woes of poor customer service, others mention her darling nephew, and some even touch on the perils of the internet.

As always, the book is full of the frustrations, emotions, and embarrassments that Notaro gives us in great detail without flinching or pulling any punches. I’m not sure I would be brave enough to be that honest. The result is that all of us dorky girls who do some not so smart things see a little bit of ourselves reflected back at us when we read Notaro’s words.

This one is easy to take along with you while you are on that last bit of summer vacation. It’s light and refreshing, and still has something to say. I always enjoy Notaro’s stories.