Underground Railroad / Colson Whitehead / 306 pgs

What an amazing, wonderful book! I absolutely enjoyed it all, though of course, some of the hard stuff that Cora had to deal with was just brutal to read. Though it ended on a hopeful tone, I found the climax to be particularly hard to take, so that's why it gave it only 4 stars. However, I highly recommend the book to those who love historical fiction, and especially to those who have no problem with a bit of fantasy.

Cora, a slave, escapes with fellow slave, Caesar, to find freedom in the North, and they use the Underground Railroad, which isn't the metaphor it was in real history. In this novel, it really is a railroad that has been built under the earth, the world's first real subway system. The story is told from Cora's perspective, but also includes some perspectives of Caesar, Ridgway, and other supporting characters.

Fahrenheit 451/Ray Bradbury/190 Pages/National Book Award

Imagine a world where books are banned.  If you get caught reading or with books in your house, the firefighters come and burn your books and house to the ground and you go to jail.  It's censorship gone overboard as the Government tries to control the knowledge of the people for their benefit.  Gone are the historians, professors, and thinking men and women.  Just do as your told, be entertained with what you are provided with, and don't ask questions.  This is the future world you are drawn into in Ray Bradbury's novel.  Can one man change it? No, but when he meet another with similar views, together they work to stop the burning and lay a foundation for a future where people can think their own thoughts.  Ray Bradbury's book was published in the 1950's, before big-screen TVs, internet, cell phones, tiny portable radios, etc., yet he invented similar devices for his story; he was very ahead of his time.