Fahrenheit 451
(Ray Bradbury)

Guy Montag is a fireman. In the future, firemen do not put out fires. They start them.

Books are illegal, and libraries are burned, along with the homes where they are found. Most people do not miss literature and instead spend their days listening to the radio or watching unintelligent television programming.

Montag begins to question his life after a series of events. First, he meets a peculiar young girl, full of questions and unusual behavior. She would rather spend the day with nature than in front of the television. The whimsical curiosity of the young girl greatly affects Montag. Then, one day she disappears.

Saddened by the loss of a new friend, Montag answers a call to burn an illegal library. The owner refuses to leave her books and burns to death with them. Montag is appalled by the episode, wondering what could be inside the some 20 books he has stolen from sites over the years.

After showing his wife the hidden library, she reports him. Demoralized, Montag is forced to extinguish his own home. Afterward, the fire captain threatens to visit Montag’s ally. Montag murders him and fleas with the remaining books, his dramatic pursuit televised. He finds a group of roaming intellectuals who memorize books in the hope the words can be revived one day. Shortly after his escape, the city is demolished by war. The group hopes the destruction will provide the opening to rebuild civilization based on deeper ideals.