Undead & UnRead Book Club - Frisco Public Library discussion

Good book.

Frisco Public Library’s Undead & UnRead and Reader’s Choice book clubs are teaming up for this month’s read of Fahrenheit 451, the classic dystopian novel. We welcome you to join one or both groups during the month for the exciting discussion.

Groups meet on September 10th and September 24th at 7pm in the 5th floor City Room. You can also participate online with the Undead & UnRead Goodreads group and the Reader’s Choice Goodreads group.

I still want those tvs.

Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953 and is still widely read and taught in schools. Do you think this book is still relevant?

Jim wrote: "I still want those tvs."

I honestly never wanted the TVs. I think it's because I can't disassociate the TVs from the mental image I have of Montag's wife, who is the embodiment of the Fahrenheit society, a society that I want nothing to do with.

We have those people now....

I think it's very relevant now. With all the gobs and gobs of entertainment we have, it's so hard to find anything meaningful. That was what I meant when I said of The Stand: "Finally, something meaningful!" I get so weary of so much chattering and nobody saying anything, which seems to be the way it is in Montag's world.

The technology of the TV kind of reminds me of video games, just not as interesting. I suppose they wouldn't want adventure games or RPGs anymore than they would want books, since they are fictional and have a plot.

I guess what she is watching is sort of like "reality TV" but with the viewer inserted into it. Yuck!

I get the feel of a soap opera. And its weird how each seems to have their own tv family.

It's interesting to me that they banned all books and anything meaningful or controversial because it was upsetting to people. But in our society, we seem to go out of our way to publicize and pick at anything that is even vaguely disturbing. I call it the "trainwreck phenomenon". The "news" is the worst offender, making trainwrecks out of virtually anything that happens. And you know, we must NEVER let a trainwreck go unlooked at.

Maybe what happened in Montag's world was some kind of backlash against the trainwreck phenomenon. I know, personally, I do not (with rare exceptions) watch TV for the reason that I find it to be stressful. Obviously, the news is stressful, but even fictional shows, for the most part, seem to want to emulate the more agonizing qualities of real life (murder shows, cop shows, situation comedies about the lovelorn). The reality shows that depict the worst in us (Hoarders, Honey Boo Boo, Bizarre Foods America). And don't even get me started on the political opinion show genre. Is there nothing more trainwrecky than watching people argue?

As a devout escapist, it is against my principles to expose myself to that much "reality".

Denise wrote: "It's interesting to me that they banned all books and anything meaningful or controversial because it was upsetting to people. But in our society, we seem to go out of our way to publicize and pick..."

I never thought about what made the Fahrenheit society the way it is, but I can see this society evolving from "the trainwreck" mentality. It could almost be a reaction against the very worst of the rubbernecking while still embracing both the physical distance of the Internet age and the digital connectivity of it as well.

Like you, most of what I watch or read is to escape reality. For this reason, I read and watch a lot of Science Fiction and Fantasy with some Historical thrown in the mix for a change. While there is some drama it's usually distant enough that it doesn't impact the fantasy.

I do think that Bradbury was a visionary. I think the way Montag's wife lives with the televisions is not too far off from reality TV and the Internet. I think he wasn't too far off from today's society with the self medication as well. Now days we have a pill or drug for almost anything or any desired mood.

That is so very true about people medicating themselves into oblivion. I love/hate how she is so clueless that she doesn't even realize that she almost killed herself!

Their society is like escapism gone horribly wrong. Where we use escapism to flee the meaninglessness of life, it seems that they use escapism to flee anything with meaning. It's like they are sickened by anything that touches their emotions. The scene with Montag reading the poem to Mildred and her friends was very interesting to me.

Does everyone else's book have the "Coda" at the end? It's a commentary from Bradbury about what the book means to him as an author. It strikes me that it isn't official censorship that he seems worried about so much as rampant editing of creative work in general. That frustration is something I can totally understand, and reading that commentary shed a whole new light on the book. I almost wish I had read it first.

Their society is avoidance not escapism. They are so fragile they cannot handle controversy or disagreements or anything that upsets them.

Jim wrote: "Their society is avoidance not escapism. They are so fragile they cannot handle controversy or disagreements or anything that upsets them."

I don't know, I think escapism is an extreme form of avoidance. Maybe the ultimate form.

Denise wrote: "That is so very true about people medicating themselves into oblivion. I love/hate how she is so clueless that she doesn't even realize that she almost killed herself!

Their society is like escap..."

I have the coda, but I haven't had a chance to read it.

Amy wrote: "I don't know, I think escapism is an extreme form of avoidance. Maybe the ultimate form."

This is what I'm wondering about myself right now. I so greatly prefer to live in a world without trainwrecks intruding upon my consciousness, it's almost like I am sort of like Mildred, only without the TVs and drugs.

But on the other hand, I don't see why I should have to be concerned with all the negative crap that other people think is so important.

What book would you memorize to preserve it for future generations?

Proverbs or I John