Trey Smith
Over the past week, I have been reading the next dystopian novel on my list, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. The subtitle of the book is "The Temperature at Which Book Paper Catches Fire, and Burns."
Bradbury takes us into a future world in which books are not allowed. Each time some are discovered, firemen are sent to burn them up as well as the house or building they were found in!!
While I was reading Fahrenheit 451, the New York City Police was tearing down the Occupy encampment at Zuccotti Park. As part of their efforts, they destroyed most of the books in the free People's Library. Of over 3,000 books, less than 800 were returned in a readable condition.
With the continued economic woes gripping government budgets large and small, libraries -- which haven't been adequately funded in some time -- really are feeling the pinch. Some will have to shutter their doors and reduced hours and services are becoming par for the course.
Maybe Bradbury's tale isn't as fantastic as it once seemed. It would be a sad day indeed if Bradbury's fictional world becomes tomorrow's reality.
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