Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Published in 1953, over ten million copies of Fahrenheit 451 have been sold and its ideas and messages are still relevant today. I liked Fahrenheit 451 so much that I included its numeral in my blog's name. 

Things are very different in this futuristic world. Firemen now burn books and homes  instead of putting out fires. Emotional connections are limited to TV presenters. Guy Montag, a fireman, meets Clarisse, a spirited young girl, and she opens his eyes to a world where he imagines and observes more.  Guy is unique among firemen because he steals and reads the forbidden books. He is eventually turned in and is forced to burn his own house but he escapes arrest and joins a secret group where books and ideas are appreciated.

The most enjoyable part of reading this book was imagining every scene. The beauty of Bradbury's writing is in giving enough information to visualize the scene but letting the reader create the rest. 

The book's burning message (pun intended) is the importance of connection between humans and the discussion of ideas. Whether it's through The Bible or Shakespeare, we can connect with the feelings and thoughts of people who are alive now and people who lived long ago.

I rate this book five out of five stars because it speaks to me deeply about freedom and connection in our modern society and serves as a warning about the dangers of too much government control of our lives.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Published in 1949, Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell's last novel and one of the most famous contributions to dystopian and political fiction. 

Winston Smith lives in the dark, grim superstate of Oceania. Members of The Party control Oceania and Big Brother acts as their poster-boy and leader, although his existence is uncertain. The Party's political philosophy consists of paradoxical slogans like "War is Peace". The masses are under constant surveillance by The Party which rewrites the past so that its principles are not contradicted.  The Party's goal is to suck the pleasure out of people's lives and abolish rebellious thoughts. Winston Smith is an individual thinker and he is eventually "remedied" by O'Brien, a leader of The Party. By the end of the book, Smith loves The Party and Big Brother. 

Nineteen Eighty-Four gives us an appreciation of the importance of knowing and remembering our history. Because all accurate records in Oceania have been expunged, the only knowledge that an event actually happened or that a person actually existed is contained in someone's memory. Reading Nineteen Eighty-Four makes me grateful that I live in a society where family and friends don't betray us to the government and where it's OK to trust others.

I rate this book four out of five stars - because it's a true pleasure to read. I deducted one star because at times the novel was a bit slow. 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew is C. S. Lewis' prequel to the Chronicles of Narnia series and lays the foundation for all the adventures to come in the mythical world of Narnia. 

The story's protagonist, Digory, lives with his Uncle Andrew, a magician, and befriends a girl called Polly. Digory's mother is direly ill and lies in bed all day. Through his magic, Uncle Andrew plunges Digory and Polly into Narnia but, inadvertently, they bring a malevolent witch into the enchanted land. In Narnia, the children meet the iconic lion Aslan who gives Digory a magic apple to cure his mother's illness. Digory and Polly return to London, Digory's mother is healed, and we discover why the wardrobe is the portal to Narnia.

Sewn into the thin spine of this book are pages with incredible descriptions of a truly magical world. C.S. Lewis' writing style and use of sense-provoking imagery make reading this book a breezy pleasure. If you plan to read the Narnia series, start with this book - it will immediately hook you. 

I rate this book five out of five stars because the writing is beautiful, engaging, and descriptive. This makes the story seem more real than your average fantasy book. The characters also seem more alive and three-dimensional.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm (1945) takes place on both literal and allegorical levels. On its literal level, it is a story about talking farm animals. The allegorical level combines the literal meaning with chilling echoes of and correspondences to the Russian Revolution. 

Animal Farm is the epitome of a dystopian world. Set on an English farm, the book's characters are all four-legged. The farm animals are introduced to the dream of a dying pig of a future in which human contact and man-made objects are abolished, all animals are equal, and their human masters are overthrown. After their rebellion, however, reality differs -- the pigs take over and rule over the other animals. Napoleon, the head pig, returns to old human ways and becomes an overweight dictator.  By the end of the book, all the other animals are starving and life is worse than when the animals were kept in check by humans. 

There is no main character or hero to be found in this novel, but that makes the story even more interesting. Each character's journey is a puzzle piece in the story. Could-be heroes are numerous, but all eventually fail in their quests to overthrow the pigs. 

Animal Farm poses a warning both to political leaders and to the average citizen. For political leaders, the message is to treat the people fairly and not starve or execute them (I'm looking at you, Stalin), because otherwise they will rebel and potentially overthrow the authority. For the average citizen, it's a lesson on not letting political rulers take advantage of them and their labor or their devotion to their country. 

I rate this book five out of five stars for its strong lessons and dire warnings against the abuse of power.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

My first book review is of The Catcher in the Rye, a 1951 high school English classic. It's about a depressed teen, Holden Caulfield, who hops between boarding schools. Holden narrates the story, giving the novel a consistent, strong, and sometimes even predictable voice. Throughout his journeys, Holden makes mature observations about the world as he experiences it. He realizes that there are many phonies and that most of the people in his life are insincere. 

Over the course of the novel, Holden matures. Before Holden had a taste of the real world, he was somewhat apathetic. The more he saw and experienced, the more empathetic he became towards people in all types of situations. 

I don't see a moral lesson that could be learned from The Catcher. I can learn from it what mistakes not to make; not to get kicked out of boarding school, not to order a prostitute up to your hotel room (it ends in embarrassment because you're not mature enough for it), or not to blow all your money over the course of two days - but no moral lessons. 

I would rate this book three out of five stars because it was good but not great.