“Issues of privacy crop up throughout ‘Fahrenheit 451,’” said Kimberly Williams, Stillwater Speaks member. “The government controls public thought through a constant stream of propaganda entering the living room walls; neighbors and family members spy and report on each other; no one thinks independently or spends time alone. Are the thoughts of people in Ray Bradbury’s world even their own?”

In this forum, participants will rotate through four different tables to discuss topics such as the privacy participants value most, ways technology affects privacy, threats to privacy, reasons people choose to give up their privacy and, of course, how privacy in the novel compares to the real world.

“Privacy is a good forum topic because it gives the community a chance to deliberate on the government’s recent involvement in the lives of individuals,” said Williams. “It will be interesting to see our participants compare Bradbury’s version of the future with the path down which current events are leading us.”

The forum is limited to 24 participants and prior registration is required. To register, email askalibrarian@stillwater.org or call 405-372-3633 x 8106. Once registered, participants will receive recommended reading to be completed prior to the forum. Coffee-house style refreshments, courtesy of Friends of the Stillwater Public Library, will be served.