Recently my class was required to choose a book of Ray Bradbury's. I chose dandelion wine. I really enjoy what I have read so far and would love to read more of his work in the future. Would anyone like suggest their favorite books of Mr. Bradburys?
I just read The Murderer for Mrs. Bagley's class. It pretty much descibes life today; every one is always on the phone, or computer, or communicating with some one using technology.
The amazing thing about "The Murderer" is the fact it was first published in 1953 & collected in Golden Apples of the Sun. Yet, when studied today, it stands up with any contemporary articles criticizing our plugged in, tuned out, digitized, i-podded, and mechanical navels. Take a look at your hallways, sidewalks, and malls "jj," and you will understand why Mr. Brock spooned the French chocolate ice cream.
"Murderer" is one of Mr. Bradbury's really good rants. A few other really keen stories with similar critiques: The Veldt, Usher II (must first read Cask of the Amontillado - EA POE), The Pedestrian, and The Flying Machine (a view of heading it all off before a culture is changed). "There Will Come Soft Rains" is a classic with the ultimate technological ironies. More: "To the Chicago Abyss" reveals what awaits if we take our eyes off from our responsibilities, and, ultimately, Fahrenheit 451, the cornerstone of Mr. B's works on the themes of society's acceptance of distractions and complacency.
Happy reading...
Mrs. Bagley may wish to consider supplementing your readings with episodes from The Ray Bradbury Theater dvd collection (viewed after the readings and discussions, naturally).
Posts: 2822 | Location: Basement of a NNY Library | Registered: 07 April 2005
I'll echo fjp451 on "The Veldt" and especially on "Usher II"!! Some of my favorites were the ones I read in junior high from The October Country, particularly "The Wind". "From the Dust Returned" contains most of my other favorites.
Although I have never read a Bradbury book that I didn't call "friend", and some of them like Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes are very good friends indeed, I have a real soft spot for a couple of the more softly spoken of his offerings: The Toynbee Convector and Quicker than the Eye.
Posts: 10 | Location: Christchurch, New Zealand | Registered: 09 January 2008
hey, alyssa i read The Night for Mrs. Bagley's class. It was pretty good, it kept you guessing about what was going to happen. It was nice to see a happy ending from Mr. Bradbury, the only happy ending i've seen. I also read the story about the two chinese cites and liked that too, but There will come soft rains is still my favorite
hey alyssa and lori, I read all summer in a day and it was about a girl that moved to venus and it always rained and the girl loved the sun and all the kids in her class thought she was crazy and locked her in the closet at school. When they all went outside the sun came out and then they got back in when it went down and had left the girl in the closet and then felt bad. I liked it because it made the other kids feel bad and now it will haunt them for the rest of their lives.