Rereading the "Classics"

Sometimes it's simply amazing how prophetic a writer can be. The wow factor is pretty strong when it comes to the social satire in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The pursuit of "being happy," the hours spent in a TV room with screens on all sides and the confusion between entertainment and reality seem increasingly a part of our lives (think video games, American Idol and Deadliest Catch). The debates on media inspired and government controlled news versus contemplative reading and serious debate could just as easily be held between troubled fireman Montag and his fire chief, Beatty, as in editorial pages and classrooms today. It's well worth it so spend an afternoon reading about Guy Montag's evolution from someone who enjoys destroying books into someone determined to read and save them.