Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

1953

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia.

Written in: English (American)

Historical context: WWII is over, but the world hasn’t quite find peace yet. Two superpowers are silently competing: the United States and the Soviet Union (period known as “Cold War”). The book was born out of some real anxieties of the 1940s and 1950s american society (nuclear threat, political persecution, censorship and the growing influence of TV & mass media).

What it’s about: A fireman in a future, alternative society, where paper books are forbidden and firemen responsible for burning them, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Why we love it:

  • Brilliant, masterful story-telling.

  • It’s still SO relevant. The questions asked in the book transcend its historical period.

  • Easy, yet astonishingly good reading.