As a high schooler, we read Ray Bradbury’s books for class. At the time, I didn’t know he lived in Venice, California which probably would have made me more interested in trying to understand his work. He was born in Waukegan, Illinois in 1920 which made him much older than I had thought. He moved to Los Angeles at an early age became an adopted Los Angeleno.
This book is rightly criticized for not being full-fledged “essays” as the title misleadingly claims. He makes his apologies for this in the Introduction, but the book is still worthwhile to read despite this deficiency. Most of the essays here are previously published and a few were unpublished. They all have the feel of being unfinished, fragmentary, or random starts waiting for an occasion to finish them up. They have a news column feel to them, which isn’t a bad thing as he appeared in all types of media forms.
Bradbury is a big fan of Walt Disney, Disneyland and had met him personally on several occasions and was allowed to take what he wanted from the priceless Disney archives. Bradbury saw Disney as a real contributor to the imaginative thinking that was necessary for future readers, creative writers, and especially writers of science fiction.
Although not a deep thinker on God, his biggest heroes are Melville, Shakespeare, and Verne while he holds to the unbiblical concept that God demands, “Yours is not to reason why, yours to be born and die.” He takes a slippery slope position close to Averroism without realizing it. He is an eternal optimist about what the future can bring and dislikes pessimistic appraisals of human nature. He had become wary of technology that fills humans’ time and negates allowance for age old daydreaming about life and its meaning. He has some nice words to say about oft maligned Los Angeles. Bradbury believes it is a place to create oneself rather than be completed by some other place. He still loves London, Rome, and Paris.
Fans of Los Angeles might enjoy this, others might find it too tedious to finish. We read The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 in high school. I was able to get my hardcover copy of Fahrenheit 451 signed by him before he passed away. His personal driver had kids who went to our grammar school. 243pp. No photos. ( )

You wouldn't read this if you weren't already a fan. So, ignore this if you're looking for fiction

It's a collection of essays and other unpublished odds and ends but it's pure uninhibited Bradbury. I've attended a couple of his lectures so I have a passing idea of what he's like in person and this is dead-on.

He's very passionate about people with imagination. He roots out the brilliance in all arts like a pig after truffles. Nothing gets in his way of experiencing the best that humanity has to offer and nothing gets in his way of telling you about it.

I'm from a much later age as the author so a lot of his analogies to film and literary figures was lost on me. But the sincerity isn't, and I believe every word he says.

It's good stuff. He appreciates the past heights of our culture but it doesn't sour him that they are so far behind us. His voice still shines with enthusiasm for life. It's upbeat stuff that will send you back out to the mines to try again. The joy is not in the finding. The joy is in the hope that the fantastic is still out there, waiting for you to arrive.

Very inspiring. If you've wished you could face life like Douglas in Dandelion Wine, here's a practical guide. ( )

Essays about everything - I really liked the ones about SF especially, but most of the others were enjoyable also - Bradbury's writing style is evident even in short form - and man, the guy knows everybody! ( )

I love reading Ray Bradbury. Anything. There was lots of interesting essays here with some things I did not know about this god of the short story. He speaks and I will always listen. ( )

This books has some great moments. The problem is that it has too many repetitive ones. Surf through it, glean the good stuff, skip the senile moments -- and that has nothing to do with Bradbury but the publisher who put it together that way!

2 out of 5 stars. ( )