Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's science-fiction classic novel on censorship, has been selected as the spring title for the One Book One Highland Park community-wide read program.  In a grim future, a tyrannical government rules where books are illegal and firemen are trained to burn them until one fireman begins to question the government's destructive ideology that knowledge is evil.  The title refers to the temperature at which all books catch fire and burn.  First published in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of science fiction writing and continues to receive international acclaim.  Among his many awards, Ray Bradbury has received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Award.

The One Book program, which debuted in the spring, was initiated by Mayor Michael D. Belsky, and promoted by the City of Highland Park with The Library.  Fahrenheit 451 is sure to spark community conversation about the role of reading and education in modern society," said Mayor Belsky.

The One Book program hopes to inspire Highland Park readers to write their own vision of the future with a Science Fiction Story Contest offered in conjunction with Half-Price Books.  For more information about the contest and other One Book events, visit the Highland Park Public Library's website at www.hplibrary.org or contact Jennifer Dotson in the City Manager's Office at (847) 926-1006, or the Highland Park Public Library at (847) 432-0216.  Click on the Science Fiction Story Contest to view submission guidelines and entry form below.