Friday, April 6, 2012

Fahrenheit 451

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!
Fahrenheit 451

Love this book. The first line, “It was a pleasure to burn,” always gives me chills. This was another eye opener for me. We read it in high school and I spent hours thinking about it. Thinking about society and people and thoughts and freedom and technology and not believing everything you’re told. Mind boggling stuff for me – I grew up in a wonderful family, and despite reading so widely and having such great parents, I was ridiculously naive about a lot of things. This book really turned my attention to science fiction, dystopia and all other books speculating about the future. Still love them! 
Any favourite first lines you remember without having to look?

And in honour of the letter F, I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about Reading What you Write. I hope you pop on over and join the discussion! :)

50 comments:

Beth Zimmerman said...

dystopia? I could Google it but I'm tired and I need to go to the bathroom a.s.a.p. LOL!

Anonymous said...

I read this in high school and don't recall too much. I should reread it.

Old Kitty said...

One of my fave fave fave books!! That first line is amazing!!

This is mine and I swear I didn't look it up - it's just I love love love this book soooooooooooo much - read it so many times over and know every detail by heart!!!

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home" - SE Hinton's The Outsiders.

Take care
x

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Great F post, I can't remember first lines off hand,

Have a good day.

Yvonne.

Nikki said...

Great post, I'll look out for this one :)

Nikki – inspire nordic

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Think it's too early in the morning to remember any first lines!

Yvonne Osborne said...

I LOVE this book. You could be talking about me, the way you grew up. We could be sisters. (Well...I do have an aunt who lives in Toronto!)

JeffO said...

I don't know how I missed this one in high school. My teacher didn't assign it (she also skipped Catcher in the Rye) and, even though I really like Bradbury and dystopians at the time, I still missed it until my daughter read it last year. Great book. And thanks, Old Kitty, for the first line from The Outsiders. That's a great opener right there.

David M. Brown said...

I have read the book and recently seen the film as well. Enjoyed both but the book is by far the superior of the two.

I do enjoy dystopian novels. Bradbury's is one of the best but I can't mention this book without nodding towards Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World as well.

Thanks for sharing this. It's always nice to come across readers with good taste :)

Mary said...

A classic! Just had a bunch of students finish this book as part of my dystopia unit. Even though it's "old" (well, ancient to them!), they still enjoyed it.

Theresa Milstein said...

I haven't read this book, but when I subbed one time the students were watching the movie. Not a good movie. I really need to read this book!

Theresa Milstein said...

I haven't read this book, but when I subbed one time the students were watching the movie. Not a good movie. I really need to read this book!

Rosalind Adam said...

I've never read this book but it feels as if it's one that I should read. The only line that comes to mind right now is, "A handbag!?" from the Importance of Being Ernest but then I do seem to be a little overtired!
Have a great weekend, Jemi.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

That is a great book and first line. May I say Bradbury is one of my favorite writers. May I? Ok I did.

Teresa

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - LOL! Dystopia is kind of the opposite of Utopia - it's a 'perfect' future for humanity gone wrong in some terrible way :)

Medeia - I think it was on a lot of curriculums. I'm glad it was on mine.

Old Kitty - I love the Outsiders too. I knew within 3 words what you were quoting! It's such a great line!

Yvonne - thanks! :)

Nikki - it' an oldie but most definitely a goodie!

Alex - very true! Need a cup of Chai first!

Yvonne - that's so cool! I can always use another sister. My real one is still my best friend, but there's always room for more!

Jeff - I missed Catcher too. Although, growing up in Canada - we did a lot of Canadian lit instead of all the American classics. :)

David - thanks so much! And to prove I have good taste - I LOVE Brave New World and 1984 too!! :)

Mary - I'm glad to hear kids are still enjoying it. The ones in my class are too young to get it yet.

Theresa - I rarely watch movies of books I love - and that's why. They just can't do them justice so much of the time.

Rosalind - I don't know that one! Hope your weekend is great too :)

Teresa - you may! It's such a great line :)

Julie Dao said...

GREAT book. I haven't read this in years! I need to go back and catch up on my Bradbury.

Anonymous said...

Was never assigned to read this in high school. Maybe I'll have to check it out. That first liner is definitely an attention grabber.

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - the trouble is there are so many great books I want to reread - we need some magical reading only time! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Susanne - (oops - cross posted!) It's a great first line! And book :)

DEZMOND said...

you know I do love me some sf! It's my fave genre after historical books actually :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Dezzy - there are so many incredible sf books out there! :)

Laura S. said...

Yes, I wrote about favorite first lines today! That's a good one, too. I didn't like Fahrenheit 451 when I read it in 8th grade, but I think I was probably too young to appreciate it (and being forced to read it for school didn't help!). I have to give it a re-read because it's a fascinating concept and I think I'd like it now.

Jemi Fraser said...

Laura - that's awesome! I'll be over in a sec to check them out :) I didn't read it until maybe grade 11 - and I don't think I would have enjoyed it before then either. It's very deep.

Shelley Sly said...

I keep meaning to read this book. I love the concept! (I hear Bradbury's an excellent writer, too.)

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelley - he really is! The book's been around for a while, so the style is very different from today's style - but it's amazing :)

Heather M. Gardner said...

I haven't read this book in years! I should read it again.
Heather

Jemi Fraser said...

Heather - me too! It's been so long - but my memories are very fond!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

"We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck."--FEED, M.T. Anderson.
And that's another sci-fi dystopian like Fahrenheit 451, which says so much about the state of the world.
I think Ray Bradbury's writings are a treasure trove of imagination and wonder.

Jemi Fraser said...

Tricia - completely agree! I love MT Anderson too. There are so many completely awesome authors!

Hilary Wagner said...

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Thanks so much for posting about it. I need to read again!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

It's been too long since I read it. Sometimes I think we read things in high school we're not qutie ready to understand.

Golden Eagle said...

Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer. I love his books!


The Golden Eagle
The Eagle's Aerial Perspective

Jemi Fraser said...

Hilary - yay! another fan. Bradbury really is brilliant! :)

Karen - it is one of 'those' books - that influences so many people. I loved it :)

Susan - so true. YA didn't exist when I was in high school. I hope the teachers now are incorporating lots of the excellent YA that's out there in their curriculums!

Golden Eagle - he IS brilliant! :)

Unknown said...

I should put this on my classic's TBR list.

Jemi Fraser said...

Clarissa - it truly is a classic for a very good reason! :)

Jackie Jordan said...

Anything by Ray Bradbury rocks ...

Jemi Fraser said...

Jackie - I totally agree :)

Shannon Lawrence said...

I have a couple first lines in my head, but not exact quotes. I have this book on my shelf to read, and I never remember to read it when I need a new book. That's a fabulous first line.

Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z

Jemi Fraser said...

Shannon - it really is! I usually get my quotes just a little bit wrong - but the ideas are there! :)

Julie Musil said...

I've never read this book, but I've heard about it. That IS a vivid first line. *shudders*

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - and it gets more intriguing from there! The whole concept is very cool :)

S. L. Hennessy said...

YES! So glad you talked about this. I wanted to write about it for F but already had something else planned (and I sort of mentioned it yesterday with E). AWESOME post.
P.S. Love Ender's, Bones, and Agatha. Definitely a new follower.

Anonymous said...

Wow. It sounds fabulous. I love how books can do that... Expand your thinking without having to experience all things.
I wish my memory would remember the first lines I've loved!

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

That is a great first line! I don't think I've read this one...

The only first line I remember is from Pride and Prejudice, which is probably one EVERYONE knows. LOL!

Jemi Fraser said...

S.L. - yay! Nice to meet you! It's always fun to meet someone with the same tastes :)

Michelle - LOL - I don't remember too many - and I usually make little changes when I 'quote' them :)

Amy - is that the one about a rich man and a wife??? I hate to admit it, but I never finished P&P. I started it in high school, but didn't enjoy it much. I really need to try it again! :)

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

I haven't read this book, but it sounds fascinating. Thanks for telling about it.

Monti

Jemi Fraser said...

Monti - you're very welcome! It's a great book :)

Margo Berendsen said...

I need to read this one again. It's been too long now since high school.

Patricia Stoltey said...

This is also one of my all-time favorite books -- I go back and read it again from time to time to remind me how fortunate I am to live in this country in this time.

Jemi Fraser said...

Margo - I know! I keep adding to my own re-read pile!! :)

Pat - it really is powerful enough to re-read again and again!