Nobody can read just one

So, you have finished F451. Are you hungry for more? (Honestly, Guy Montag would not want you to stop with just one book.) If you are looking for more anti-utopian novels or just great titles that illustrate the power of the written word, then you should check out the following books.

1984 by George Orwell
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Ex-Libris by Ross King
The Librarian by Larry Beinhart
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Bookwoman's Last Fling by John Dunning
334 by Thomas M. Disch
We by Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
The Destruction of the Books by Mel Odom
The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
Smoke Screen by Marianne Macdonald
The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (a personal favorite)

Books should be seen (and heard)!

Intrigued by the fact that copies of Fahrenheit 451 were suddenly all over the place and free for the taking, people have begun to share stories of their experiences with the novel.  Some read it in school under duress, some read it on the recommendation of a friend.  Their responses to the book varied in intensity, but none were negative.  Some people were grateful for the reading freedoms that we enjoy; some shuddered at the thought of ever having to live in a Fahrenheit 451 type of world that takes away the simplest of freedoms under the guise of protection.
My own reaction when I read the book eight years ago was that I thought we were all practically force-fed too much entertainment as it was.  I also used to reject the idea of books on tape because I saw it as an easy way out until I learned about auditory learning and realized that just because one heard a book instead of read it didn't mean the words and ideas were any less glorious or had less of an impact.  It was ideas and the feelings that they conjured up that the society in F451 was being "protected" from.   Those ideas and feelings came from the words in the books, whether seen or heard.  Mrs. Phelps breaks down and cries (something she probably had not done in a very long time) when Montag reads Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" because it mirrors the life everyone was living.  It handed her this terrible realization that their own "land of dreams" was a painful place to be.  She did not see the words; she heard them.

The intake of breath

Self-censorship: noun control of what you say or do in order to avoid annoying or offending others, but without being told officially that such control is necessary. From: the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

I do this every day. You do this every day. Self-censorship is the intake of breath as one decides to smile instead of sneer, to say "yes" when you think "no," or even to keep silent when another person voices a contrary opinion. It is a gained professional trait and a skill that is developed with maturity of character. It is valuable as restraint and the ability to temper emotions.

But self-censorship can also lead to the repression of beliefs and opinions out of fear of retribution. It is the symptom of an oppressive government. And in extreme circumstances the silence of a censored voice is more damaging than the sound. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" (Martin Luther King, Jr.).

Our country's ideals and its identities are solidified by the words of the Constitution. "We the People..." are a multiplicity of voices and words, a plethora of beliefs and feelings, and sometimes a barrage of disjointed opinions. The Fourteenth Amendment states "no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..."

With the intake of breath when we self-censor, we are making a decision about the things that matter most to us as individuals, professionals, and community citizens. It is this choice that is bestowed upon us by our Constitutional Rights. It is this choice that makes us free-thinking individuals. It is this choice that was repressed and that resurfaced from the depths of humanity in the dystopic nightmare of Fahrenheit 451.

I am proud of my restraint, but I am also proud of the intake of breath that prepares me for self expression. I am proud to proclaim my beliefs, but with this pride must come a willingness to listen to others and their own self expression. Otherwise, would I be better than Captain Beatty? Or vapid Mildred Montag?

When was the last time you censored yourself and for what reason? Was it worth it to you?

Message Board Now Available

We just put up a message board for you to leave your comments about any aspect of Fahrenheit 451, The Big Read or the related events.

Find the F451 Message Board link on the right under Get Involved!

Tell us what's on your mind.

Connect! Chat! Bookmark! Share!

We've added two features to the blog today.

Chat
Look for the link under Get Involved! to enter a F451 chat room. This room is not moderated, so please be on your best behavior. :)

Bookmarking
Look for a new set of links on the right called Bookmark & Share! You can easily add the blog to your del.icio.us or Digg account.

We welcome your comments and suggestions! We want to help everyone connect and get involved.

Temperature's Rising!!

Yesterday, 5 minutes after kicking off The Big Read, I saw a woman in our coffee shop deep into Ray Bradbury rapture. Two hours later I entered a classroom @ Fayetteville High School and witnessed 30 teens finishing chapter 1. And then! This morning! I called the Bank of Fayetteville to check the day’s weather and they told me to join the Fayetteville Public Library for The Big Read! Let me tell you what’s happening with the weather ~ the Temperature’s Rising! We’re even going into the Washington County Jail with this book!
Laura @ the Library

Come and get it!

Yesterday, the library officially kicked off The Big Read! Mayor Dan Coody invited the entire community to participate.

3,000 copies of Fahrenheit 451 are being given away at the library while supplies last. Stop in, pick up a copy. Read it and pass it on!

Be ready to join us for a week of activities around the themes in the novel, April 14 - 21, 2007.

Have you read it??