Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a dystopian science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. It is set in a world where books are banned and critical thought is discouraged; the central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this case, means "book burner"). 451 degrees Fahrenheit is stated as the temperature at which paper ignites and begins to burn.

The book, with some plot changes, was made into a film in 1966 by François Truffaut, with Oskar Werner as Montag. There are plans for a remake in 2005, directed by Frank Darabont.'

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.

The plot is driven by Montag's rejection of the mindless world in which he lives. He begins to collect books, to the horror of his wife, whose only interest in life is the viewing of vacuous television shows (a parody of 1950's programming). When ordered to put fire to his house, he instead turns his flamethrower on Beatty, his fire chief. With the aid of Faber, a well-educated but timid old man, he eludes a police helicopter and escapes into the forest, where he joins a wandering band of intellectual rebels, who have committed books to memory.