Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Reality trumps satire

During the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, a Texas parent filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" seeking the removal of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 from a high school's curriculum:

"It's just all kinds of filth," said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read Fahrenheit 451. "The words don't need to be brought out in class. I want to get the book taken out of the class."

He looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk," references to the Bible and using God's name in vain.
Fahrenheit 451 depicts a world in which the reading of books is prohibited and books themselves are burned.

Parent criticizes book Fahrenheit 451 (The Courier, via Boing Boing)

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comments: 2

Anonymous said...

An excerpt found on the back cover of my edition of Fahrenheit 451:

“Frightening in its implications...Mr. Bradbury’s account of this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating.”

--The New York Times

...And wasn't it made into a movie in the 70's? Why is it just now being attacked?

devra said...

These people procreate. *sigh*