Hey,

I just wanted to say that my overall favorite Ray Bradbury book is 'Fahrenheit 451" because of its encouragement for self expression, and its deep seated roots between the world's past, the present we all live in, and the possible and likely future. I would greatly appreciate it i anyone would answer this question with their own words...

What do you like best about "Fahrenheit 452", and what did you get out of it (i.e. the overall meaning or value that expresses yourself as an individual)???

Thanks for spending the time to answer.

For me there are two important things I got from Farenheit 451 -- one came out of the other.

The first was that it was the first time it had seriously occured to me that ideas mattered. People in this book died for ideas, they dedicated their lives to preserving ideas, and they lived their lives either with depth or numbing shallowness based on their ideas. This recognition changed my life. I first read it in 9th grade.

Because of this realization, Bradbury (through F451) sent me on a journey that continues today to increase my understanding of ideas and the human condition and to take seriously the application of good ideas into my life and the effort to keep my life from being diminished by bad ideas.

The other thing that happened is that F451 got me so excited about the search for ideas that I read the rest of Bradbury's works. This got me interested in "other" science fiction writers and I went on to read a lot of them. In the same way that Bradbury's writing sparked my interest in ideas in general; many ideas presented in these other authors' writings got me interested in particular ideas and I consequently branched out in my reading to philosophy, theology, literature and anything else that seemed to deal with ideas and the human condition.

The other thing Bradbury did (initially in F451, but then in Martian Chronicles, SWTWC, and his canon of short stories) was to help me understand the beauty and power of the english language. He could paint pictures with words and create moods and emotions through his writing. This has also had a real impact on my life.

I have Masters Degrees in both English and Philosophy. I believe that I would never have persued them unless I had read F451. It was the right book, to the right kid, at the right time.

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Posting from another location:

"Imskipper's comment reminded me of a quote by Thoreau in the chapter, "Reading," in his book, "Walden". This chapter is a great one to read on reading and what it is about, but the following short quote is the concept that came to my mind:

"How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book!"

I know that a new life was opened to me when I read Farenheit 451 in 9th grade. A friend made me read it, I then went on to read all of Bradbury's available works, went from there into science fiction, and from there to literature, philosophy, and theology. Reading F451 in 9th grade changed the direction of my life and I have never gone back.

As I read the postings here on this board, I think the real legacy of Bradbury is not how many books and stories he's written; it's how many hearts and minds he has turned on through his use of language, his imagination and creativity, and his phenomenal story-telling skills."