Fahrenheit 451

Bit weird, bit rambley, but frighteningly accurate, especially when you consider it was written 72 years ago.

I think the most important part of this book is the afterword. It helps you understand how the book came about. Sure, I understand the themes and I get what the book is about. It's about censorship, the dumbing down of society into compliant plebs etc etc. via the removal of ideas and thinking which is mainly books and education. But understanding the genesis of the book help me understand why it was such a strange book to read.

The book came about via a few short stories, a heap load of ideas and a couple of personal incidents, one of which involved the police which were all thrown together over a period of time to form this novella. This kind of explains why some of it is page turningly brilliant and some of it is like being being inside a cheese induced coma.

Very good, but very pleased it wasn't 1oo pages longer.