This book is a dystopian novel about a society which attempts to suppress knowledge through essentially burning books. The main character is a fireman, Guy, whose purpose is to start fires rather than put them out in order to burn houses which contain books. Bradbury stated that it was inspired by his concerns about the threat of book burning in the US during the McCarthy era.

I think I read this book because there seemed to be a lot of copies lying around the house at the time, so I thought I’d take a read. The fictional dystopia also reminded me of an Orwell novel.

I think I quite enjoyed it however I read it quite a while ago so I can’t remember too much. I quite enjoyed the perspective of Guy through the lens of being a fireman in this society. His gradual journey to a state of self-awareness is interesting, especially the impact of different events on the way he thought about his own life and what he was doing. The broader historical context also gives an insight into the way Bradbury viewed the world and the way society during his life impacted his worldview.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian novels with a distinct historical context. If you like Orwell, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book. Even if you’re not into these sorts of novels you may enjoy the story who knows.