Hey guys!
Welcome to On My Shelf.
Today I’m talking about the fantastical
imagination of one of the greatest writers
of all time: Ray Bradbury.
I recently shared the reading of Fahrenheit
451, which was originally published in 1953,
with my boys.
We listened to the audiobook, read by Stephen
Hoye, and this needs a warning for you parents
who might do the same: Bradbury uses the word
“hell” quite a lot, so if that makes you
uncomfortable, then you might want to wait
until your kids are older.
Fahrenheit 451 is the story of Guy Montag
who is a fireman in a dystopian future.
But a fireman means something different in
this world.
Instead of putting out fires, the fireman
actually start fires—specifically fires
intended to destroy books.
The powers that be believe that books are
dangerous, because they cause people to think.
So the people sit in front of screens instead.
They actually live in houses with walls made
of screens.
I originally read this story in high school
and didn’t fully appreciate it.
I had an urge to read it again when a story
I was reading mentioned it.
I’ve always loved Ray Bradbury.
He has a fascinating imagination.
He wrote this book long before computers became
a widely accepted medium for communication
and creation.
He wrote it before televisions became standard
in every home and we had a billion channels
to choose from, intended to keep us focused
on those screens.
But he imagined a world without books as a
bleak, and maybe it’s because I imagine
a world without books would be a bleak one
too, that I feel such a connection with this
story.
Before re-reading Fahrenheit 451, I read Bradbury’s
horror story, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
The audiobook is read by Christian Rummel.
I had never read this one before, and it was
incredible.
Bradbury has a poetic style that presents,
in a nonchalant sort of way, his viewpoint
of the world.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a story
about a carnival that comes to town with a
carousel that two boys suspect is dangerous.
And it is dangerous.
When it goes forward, it speeds up time, and
the riders who get off become old and frail.
When it goes backward, it turns back time,
so the people ride turn to babies or children
again.
It’s all run by a shady character called
The Illustrated Man.
Two boys in the town try to figure out a way
to make this carnival leave town.
I found that I could not stop reading this
story, it was so horrifying.
After reading both of these books, I came
to love Bradbury even more.
He uses the everyday and makes it both imaginative
and a little bit scary.
Even Fahrenheit 451 had a few scary moment,
when a mechanical dog chased Montag.
The Illustrated Man was the epitome of scary.
It’s not only those elements that make Bradbury’s
stories so good, though.
There is also the fact that he puts so much
of himself into his stories.
You can hear his thoughts coming off the page.
I find this appealing in any story.
I love to hear who authors are through their
work.
A few years ago, I read a nonfiction book
by Bradbury called Zen in the Art of Writing.
In this book, he tells the story of where
most of his ideas come from—it’s usually
from his own experiences.
One of the first short stories he ever wrote
was about the thing at the top of the stairs
that he was always afraid of as a child.
He took what he was afraid of, and he make
it come alive.
I admire that about him.
I want to do it myself.
I don’t know that there will ever be another
writer like Bradbury.
I suppose I’ll just have to keep reading
his books over and over again.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the entertaining
art of Ray Bradbury.
If you have any audiobooks that you think
everybody in the whole world should read,
leave them in the comments, and I will add
them to my list.
Visit racheltoalson.com for some of my best
recommendations for both audiobooks and films.
For more On My Shelf, subscribe to my YouTube
channel.
Thanks for watching.
