The Incomparable, number 339, February 2017.

Welcome back everybody to The Incomparable.

I'm your host, Jason Snell, and this episode is going to be about two books you may have been assigned in school, maybe, maybe not.

And they have become more interesting and relevant lately.

And I believe, in fact, copies of one are reportedly sold out in many bookstores, whatever

bookstores still remain in the United States.

So we're going to talk about George R. Wells,

1984, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Two things, you know, the theme here, of course,

is works with numbers in them. That's right. Clearly. So joining me, I mentioned reading them in school, who better to have discussed these commonly assigned works than the very host of

sophomore lit John McCoy. Hello. Hello. I want you to know I don't even own a parlor wall.

All right. Well, you know, ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery, Scott McNulty. That's double plus good to be here, Jason.

David J. Lour, we have always been at war with East Asia.

This is true.

I got to say, it was kind of grim in high school because we had our English class in room 101.

Ouch, that's brutal.

And Erica Ensign is here.

You might as well jump.

Wait a second.

No, that's wrong.

I think I will just go ahead and jump down the memory hole.

No, don't dump down the memory hole.

After reading these books, Jason.

...