Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (1951)
Written in 1951, this book is set in a dystopian future. Here, the general population lost interest in books, and instead spends the majority of their time watching tv. To avoid conflict, books are now banned. “Firemen” are no longer needed to extinguish fires, as houses are now 100% fireproof, so this industry has been re-purposed as book-burners. Although often considered to be about banned books, the novel is also about a society that fails to value books.
Guy Montag is a fireman who spends his days burning books, and his nights being ignored by his wife, who spends all her time with electronic seashells (headphones – amazing that Mr. Bradbury predicted these!) in her ears. Its not until he meets one of his neighbors, a girl named Clarisse, that he begins to question his profession and realize how unhappy he is.
