Cameronia

I loved Fahrenheit 451 because it was a book about burning books that was far more than a book about burning books. F451 is a book about the true cost of the loss of culture- it can be burned books or banned films or the unsubtle self-imposed censorship of an idea- regrettably, this book isn't particularly "fresh" in my mind, and it's been a while since I've read it.

What I can remember, however, is that besides a great message, F451 featured great characters and a very interesting world. The main premise is that firefighters set fires to libraries, hunting down those few strange people who cling to books, creating the most spectacular of funeral pyres for the last bastions of culture in the world.

The book follows Guy Montag, a firefighter who befriends a strange girl who inevitably turns his monotonous, fiery life upside-down. I'd hate to spoil the story, but I feel comfortable saying that Mr. Montag discovers what's gone horribly wrong with his world. What made Fahrenheit 451 so special to me is that Bradbury makes his point without shoving it down my throat- even though I'm a little surprised that his protagonist didn't put the pieces together particularly quickly, I never felt as though I was being led along by the hand.

Overall, it's an excellent book- I'd consider it to be life-changing in the way that it encouraged me to think about the sort of media that I both consume and create, and how it affects me.