I finished this book on Saturday. The third part (Burning Bright) is definitely the best part of the book. Amanda had assured me it started to pickup.
Amanda and I had a great time talking over the book, its themes, and the uncanny ability of sci-fi authors to predict the future. We also talked about how important it is to read, feed your brain, and challenge your thoughts with new stories/ideas/points of view.
The next day at River City Community Church, Pastor Sean started a sermon series titled “The New Normal” and had as one of his main points to “Always keep learning”. He quoted Charlie “Tremendous” Jones:
You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.
Amanda and I looked at each other and smiled. How true that statement is, and how sad it would be to live in a world where books were burned, or people don’t read.
Overall I highly recommend the book.
The paperback we have has a Q&A with Bradbury at the end of the book that was written in the early 2000′s where the author could reflect on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, current technology, and the state of entertainment media.
A few things I thought funny:
- I have a neighbor with the last name of Phelps and pictured her in the scenes with the character of the same name.
- I was reading the book while volunteering at a 5K and someone asked me whyI would be reading that book? Funny that person asking is a teacher.
- Soon after I finished the book, a friend on Twitter posted a link to the story: ”At What Temperature Does an eBook Burn?” which talks about the current state of book publishing with reference to Bradbury’s novel.
