Please help identify this book

[kalrith]

Update: Credit goes to Turin39789 for identifying it:

Originally posted by: Turin39789
Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

I read an excerpt of a book (or possibly even a short story) in my high-school literature book in '97 or '98. It was a story of a society that tried to make everyone equal. Those who were stronger than average had to wear weights. Those who were smarter than average were exposed to a high-pitched noise every 15-30 seconds that would make them lose their train of thought. The goal was to inhibit those who were above average in order to bring them down to the same level as everyone else.

I can't remember anything more about it than that. Hopefully it's enough for someone to identify it.

Thanks!

 

[nageov3t]

The Giver?

I never read it but I vaguely remember people saying it had something to do with socialism and was one of those adolescent reading list books.

 

[xanis]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Communism?

 

[joesmoke]

hmmm let me think abou REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

wait... what was that?

 

[Turin39789]

I've read this too.



edit - Yup, Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

 

[GagHalfrunt]

USA: The Obama Years

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: loki8481
The Giver?

I never read it but I vaguely remember people saying it had something to do with socialism and was one of those adolescent reading list books.

It is NOT The Giver, I can tell you that much.

 

[nerdress]

No, the Giver was a book about a society made up of individuals; but only one of a kind. Everyone had their own jobs to do, and if there were twins, then they had to kill one of them. That's all I remember, but it definitely wasn't that book.

Dammit! Now I want to know what this book is :|

Edit: whoops, I tried searching for it, so it took me a while to answer

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I've read this too.



edit - Yup, Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

Thank you! That's definitely it. I was hoping it was an excerpt from a longer book, but it'll be nice to go back and read the short story nonetheless. I'm reading 1984 right now, which led to me wondering what book this was. I see that a movie was made out of it (imdb link). I wonder if that's any good.

Edit: And another movie based on this story was just released in May: 2081.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I've read this too.



edit - Yup, Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

Thank you! That's definitely it. I was hoping it was an excerpt from a longer book, but it'll be nice to go back and read the short story nonetheless. I'm reading 1984 right now, which led to me wondering what book this was. I see that a movie was made out of it (imdb link). I wonder if that's any good.

Edit: And another movie based on this story was just released in May: 2081.

I take paypal.


Go read more Vonnegut, its all good. I'm sure this story was probably in one of his collections of short stories. The only one I can think of is Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons(sp), but they're all worth reading.

 

[DaveSimmons]

That Sean Astin movie version was good.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I've read this too.



edit - Yup, Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

Thank you! That's definitely it. I was hoping it was an excerpt from a longer book, but it'll be nice to go back and read the short story nonetheless. I'm reading 1984 right now, which led to me wondering what book this was. I see that a movie was made out of it (imdb link). I wonder if that's any good.

Edit: And another movie based on this story was just released in May: 2081.

I take paypal.


Go read more Vonnegut, its all good. I'm sure this story was probably in one of his collections of short stories. The only one I can think of is Wampeters, Foma, and Granfalloons(sp), but they're all worth reading.

Sorry, my work blocks paypal :shiftyeyes;.

I'll have to read more Vonnegut. Have you read The Sirens of Titan? Wikipedia mentions, "A similar (though less developed) version of this idea appeared in Vonnegut's earlier novel, The Sirens of Titan," referring to "Harrison Bergeron." Welcome to the Monkey House is an assortment of Vonnegut's short stories and includes "Harrison Bergeron." I might have to read through that too. I just started 1984, so I'll have a couple weeks to try to place a hold on some of Vonnegut's work at my library.

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
That Sean Astin movie version was good.

That's good to hear. I'll have to watch it sometime.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: kalrith
Update: Credit goes to Turin39789 for identifying it:

Originally posted by: Turin39789
Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

I read an excerpt of a book (or possibly even a short story) in my high-school literature book in '97 or '98. It was a story of a society that tried to make everyone equal. Those who were stronger than average had to wear weights. Those who were smarter than average were exposed to a high-pitched noise every 15-30 seconds that would make them lose their train of thought. The goal was to inhibit those who were above average in order to bring them down to the same level as everyone else.

I can't remember anything more about it than that. Hopefully it's enough for someone to identify it.

Thanks!

one of my favorite stories, i read it in "honors" english 7th grade. has stuck with me since then, i was bummed the school my kids go to doesnt have it on the curriculum. ive talked to them about the story, and we watched the movie which wasnt exactly the real story.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: kalrith
Update: Credit goes to Turin39789 for identifying it:

Originally posted by: Turin39789
Vonnegut "Harrison Bergeron"

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

I read an excerpt of a book (or possibly even a short story) in my high-school literature book in '97 or '98. It was a story of a society that tried to make everyone equal. Those who were stronger than average had to wear weights. Those who were smarter than average were exposed to a high-pitched noise every 15-30 seconds that would make them lose their train of thought. The goal was to inhibit those who were above average in order to bring them down to the same level as everyone else.

I can't remember anything more about it than that. Hopefully it's enough for someone to identify it.

Thanks!

one of my favorite stories, i read it in "honors" english 7th grade. has stuck with me since then, i was bummed the school my kids go to doesnt have it on the curriculum. ive talked to them about the story, and we watched the movie which wasnt exactly the real story.

The new movie 2081 is supposed to hold true to the story, according to Wikipedia.

 

[zinfamous]

Top Gun: The adapted novel.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
Top Gun: The adapted novel.

That's a great book.

 

[wiredspider]

We had to read that.... I thought it was 1984, lol.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: wiredspider
We had to read that.... I thought it was 1984, lol.

1984...2081.

I can see how you'd confuse those two .