A world without books

I think a world without books would look like the society depicted in farenheit 451.  Language would begin to dwindle because from birth reading helps to build vocabulary.  Critical thinking would disappear because there have to be new and differing ideas for analysis to even exist.  Rather than life being like an onion and people having to explore the layers in their own way, life would be more like spaghetti with a few different kinds of people (i.e. noodles, sauce, and meatballs) but what you see is what you get!
I would definitely miss books if they were forbidden because although there are some nights where I am exhausted and just want to relax and watch tv, other nights reading really relaxes and me and makes me feel a lot less lazy because I am still working my mind.  I don't read for leisure during the semester because I always have something to be working on, but during the summer I love sitting on my roof, by the pool, or on the beach and reading a good book.  Like I said before reading presents new ideas and allows the reader to interpret the story any way they want.  A reader could analyze a story and see a whole different way of looking at it than the author even intended. 

One way I feel we "burn" books today is by turning them into movies.  Although I love watching movies, I feel in a way they often take away a lot of the texture within books.  When you read you can imagine the characters in any way you please and you know what they're thinking.  In a movie there is no way to read the characters minds, which can really take away from some deeper meaning, and there are often time limits on movies so a lot of the book gets thrown to the waste side anyway.  Not to mention the problem actor choices, if the wrong actor is chosen, the whole movie can crumble leaving a bad image on the book as well.  I am anxious to see the movie Hunger Games but I know that it won't even compare to the book!

One other way I feel we "burn" books today is through spark notes.  I personally do love spark notes because sometimes text is too dense, too long, or just plain boring so spark notes is a quick easy way to get the jist of the story.  However, like movies, you only see a glimpse of the book through spark notes.  Granted you are seeing the most important parts, but the plot is completely lost.  Using spark notes in conjunction with reading can be very helpful, but if books were lost and spark notes were all that was left it just wouldn't be the same!

The danger books present are questions.  If you are told all of your life one way of thinking then read a book about a completely different society questions arise.  What would life be like in that kind of society?  How is our society similar?  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  The most dangerous questions is probably:  If we are wrong, what can I do to make things right?  Dictatorships are very threatened by any kinds of questions becuase they often spark revolts.