Cross-posted to IFLA FAIFE.

The FAIFE Book Club provides multiple venues for librarians and free expression supporters to discuss issues brought up by the selections: a website (http://faifebookclub.ala.org) and blog, email list, webinars, and in-person activities. There’s also a Twitter feed, and participants are welcome to post on FAIFE’s Facebook page.

Following closely on the heels of Bradbury’s 5 June death at age 91, the selection of Fahrenheit 451 will serve as a way to honor Bradbury’s life as well as discuss the many issues brought to light by his classic book. These issues include state-mandated censorship, the role of media in controlling our lives, and the state of books in a new technological environment. Fahrenheit 451 has been translated into at least 33 languages, and is now available as an e-book, and as a graphic novel (officially approved by Bradbury).

Another version is featured in the first event related to this selection: a screening of Francois Truffaut’s 1966 film version on June 24 at the ALA Annual Conference. The screening was followed by an open discussion. The FAIFE Book Club Web site also has a page open for discussions of the film here: http://faifebookclub.ala.org/?page_id=95.

Additional book club events include webinars in July (dates and times to be determined) and a presentation at the IFLA Annual Conference in Helsinki.

The FAIFE Book Club is cosponsored by the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom. The first selection of the FAIFE Book Club was Evgeny Morozov’s The Net Delusion. See the overview of the book at Library Thing.

For more information, contact Jonathan Kelley at jokelley@ala.org.