In Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” firemen don’t extinguish fires, they ignite them. And their fuel is literature. The novel takes place in a futuristic world where books are strictly forbidden by law, and firemen are doing their best to destroy every last literary manuscript. More than 60 New Hampshire communities are reading and discussing “Fahrenheit 451” as part of The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts. The national event is aimed at bringing books back to the forefront of American culture, combating the “Fahrenheit” concept that is being executed in modern times by television and the Internet. The Center for the Book at the N.H. State Library has partnered with the N.H. Humanities Council and the N.H. Department of Cultural Resources to present New Hampshire Reads “Fahrenheit 451,” launching programs and events across the state throughout October. Among area participants are public libraries in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, Madbury, Durham, Greenland, Somersworth and Hampton Falls, as well as Dover Middle School and Somersworth High School. Members of the public are invited to contribute brief essays addressing a simple question: If you could save one book from the “Fahrenheit” flames, which book would you choose? Below are a number of selections written by students in Maria Faskianos’ eighth grade class at Dover Middle School at the end of the last school year. To see other selections, make your own submission or get information about other Big Read events, visit www.bigreadnh.blogspot.com.

‘300’ by Frank Miller
If I were to save any book from the flames it would be “300.” It really said something. It said to stand up and fight for what you believe in. First of all, the king of Persia, Xerxes, tries to make Sparta surrender under his control. He says he’s a God kind because he is the strongest kind in the world. Then, Lyanidus, King of Sparta, did not want to surrender. So he went to war with 300 of his best soldiers and fought Xerxes’ 10,000 men. But in the end the Spartans died doing the right thing. —Heath DeSimone


‘A Child Called “It”’ by David Pelzer

This book touched my soul because it is a true story about a boy trying to survive. He is trying to survive his drunken and abusive mother. It opened my mind because it showed me that I shouldn’t take for granted what my parents do for me because some kids’ partents don’t love their children and the kids don’t get to experience a real childhood. —Megan Bolduc



‘Twilight’ by Stephenie Meyer

When I try to think of a book I would want to save from the fires, so many come to mind, but one book stands out as the best. This book is “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. This book drew me in at the beginning and had me hooked until the very last word. It’s one of those books you just can’t stop reading. It is a great book about courage, hope and finding love in the best and worst conditions. So many books are important to me, but this one is my favorite because of how well it was told. —Emily deJong

‘This Is Your Brain on Music’ by Daniel Levitin

A reason why this book is so valuable to me is because it teaches the joy of understanding music. This would be important to know because music is an international language. Some people don’t understand that music can make the gloomiest person into cheerful, but it can. Daniel Levitin is currently producing music with a large record company in the city. What keeps him going is the quote, “If you don’t got music, you don’t got anything.” —David Henck



‘Bleachers’ by John Grisham

This is a great book about an all American high school quarterback, and it shows the importance of honor and respect. The main character, Neely Crenshaw, returns to his hometown after swearing that he never would because his coach and mentor passed away. Secondly, this book demonstrates great will. Neely breaks his thumb in the championship game of his senior year, yet he continues to play through the pain. This shows his great courage. In conclusion, this is the book I would save because Neely shows great leadership and guts in his performance. —Gordon Roberts

‘Faithful’ by Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King

The book I would save from the flames is a book called “Faithful” by Stephen King. I would save this book because it has taught me to believe in the things that seem impossible. It also shows me that love and dedication for the things you love is a good thing. This book is based upon King and the Boston Red Sox. King shows commitment, love and even hate in this book. King hopes that the Red Sox will finally break their curse. This book is important to people because it tells them to never give up, against all odds. —Steven Carlberg

‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ by Harriet Beecher Stowe

I would save “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” for three reasons. First of all, I would save it because it opened people’s eyes to realize that everyone on Earth is equal. Reason number two is that it changed the way people see the world by letting them know what it is like to be a slave and how much slaves had suffered and wanted to be free. Reason number three is that I learned about slavery in the U.S. history. —Damien Drew