This book, although rather short, is powerful and poignant! Ray Bradbury, fueled by the time and context surrounding his writing, has created a society that is scary, dark, and all too believable. Reading it in a day and age of instant gratification, of virtual reality, of the diminishing of freedom of thought and speech, and of Air Pods, will leave any reader cautious of where society as a whole could go and fueled by a desire to preserve freedom, a right to learn, to speak, and to grow.

The story in and of itself is not as breathtaking, awing, or fascinating as other speculative fiction works set in a dystopian future society—such as Orwell’s “1984”—but where at times the narrative is lacking, Bradbury makes up for it with his fantastic writing style. His imagery, his metaphor, his simile—all of it is tasteful and remarkable. I have read few writers from the 20th century that have helped me to feel, taste, smell, see, and hear truly what the world of “Fahrenheit 451” and what the experiences of the characters therein are like.