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Nov 15, 2014LibraryUser53 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Published in the rarefied atmosphere of 1953 -- immediately following the atrocities of WWII, and concurrent with hydrogen bomb development and the cold war threats. It's not overly surprising then that Bradbury posits a future 100 years hence where wars are never-ending, public discourse about political ideas is suppressed, newspapers are obsoleted, all available information is controlled in an electronic cloud and divy'd out only to certain individuals, and even then, only when absolutely necessary. And the citizens, with little control over their lives and nothing else to do other than their low-paid menial work-a-day work, are placated with high tech big screen flat panel TV featuring soap opera dramas, game shows, and sports galore, with fantastic surround-sound. Sound familiar? On the minus side, Bradbury's prose is a little self-indulgent, at times taking ten pages to say in an obtuse way what could be said directly in one. This is a story that is better listened to than read, but even better is to listen and read the parts again where Bradbury goes off on one of his poetic-induced stanzas. If you can get past that, overall, recommended.