Using Fahrenheit 451 as a model for reading in the age of spectacle, this paper offers a critique of reading curriculum driven by Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CCSS-ELA), which divorces reading from dialogue and lived experience. Drawing on Debord’s (1967/1983) notion of spectacle, the author considers how our current cultural moment may be shaping and shaped by an alienated and alienating curriculum of reading. By embracing the political implications of reading curriculum, we can reclaim reading as a dialogic activity grounded in the world.
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