May 2018: Kurt Vonnegut

Up next ... our group read of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

We previously read Vonnegut several years back and had a very lively discussion: http://www.librarything.com/topic/160378

For what it's worth, he has four books on the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" list:
Cat's Cradle
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Slaughterhouse-five
Breakfast of Champions

What is everyone planning on reading this month? If you've read Vonnegut before, please share what books you read and how you felt about them.

edited to fix touchstones issue

For whatever reason, I never had to read any Vonnegut in high school or college, so I didn't start reading him until this group brought him up the last time. One of my friends has been a huge Vonnegut fan for years, and I finally saw what she was talking about once I picked up his books! So far I've read Cat's Cradle, Player Piano, and Slaughterhouse-five.

At the moment, I'm actually reading a fascinating biographical book about Kurt and his brother called The Brothers Vonnegut: Science and Fiction in the House of Magic. Only about 20-30 pages in and already I've learned so much!

Not sure what I'll read in May, but I have a little time to think about it still...

As always, I'm marveling at how quickly time goes. Here we are in May already!

I'm still technically working on that Vonnegut biography mentioned above as I put aside while I've been reading some other things. I also checked out God Bless, Mr. Rosewater from the library and hope to get to it soon.

Finished God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater today. This was my least favorite Vonnegut so far. It seemed to lack a focus and summing it up in a succinct introduction-problem-conclusion format is near impossible. Vonnegut's distinct style is still there and characters from his other books appear here (Kilgore Trout) while characters from this book (Eliot Rosewater) show up in his other books, which is neat. Still, I wouldn't recommend this book, especially for those who *haven't* read Vonnegut yet.

Following up that last comment, here are a couple of quotes from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater that did stand out. They are both touch upon the subjects of poverty and wealth inequality, which are recurring themes in the book.

- " 'Other people say, "Hello" or "Goodbye!" We always say, "Excuse me," no matter what we're doing.' He threw up his hands. 'No more apologies! So we're poor! All right, we're poor! This is America! And America is one place in this sorry world where people shouldn't have to apologize for being poor. The question in America should be, "Is this guy a good citizen? Is he honest? Does he pull his own weight?" ' "

- " ' ... the main lesson Eliot learned is that people can use all the uncritical love they can get. ... It's news that a man was able to give that kind of love over a long period of time. If one man can do it, perhaps others can do it, too. It means that our hatred of useless human beings and the cruelties we inflict upon them for their own good need not be parts of human nature. Thanks to the example of Eliot Rosewater, millions upon millions of people may learn to love and help whomever they see.' "

Also, this is an interesting piece of literary analysis comparing Eliot Rosewater to Hamlet: http://www.vonnegutreview.com/2013/07/the-tragedy-of-eliot-rosewater-prince.html

edited to fix typo

I went on a Vonnegut spree a few years ago. Love his writing but to be honest, they all kind of blend together so I couldn't tell you which is which. I probably should have spaced them out a bit :)

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater only got 2 1/2 stars so I don't think I was impressed either.

Slaughterhouse and Breakfast of Champions got 4 stars.

I finally got my copy of Breakfast of Champions at the library -- I don't know if Vonnegut is having a resurgence or what but it was quite the waiting list. I am about halfway through right now and really enjoying it. His writing style is so unusual.

>7 Yells: Yeah, it just wasn't as powerful as the others I've read by him.

>8 sparemethecensor: Hmm, that is interesting. Perhaps it could have been required reading at a local school? Or a book club title?

>9 sweetiegherkin: Not sure, but I'm glad I finally got a copy! I finished reading it this week. This was my first Vonnegut novel (I previously had only read some of his short fiction) and I really enjoyed it. His writing style is unlike anyone else's in a delightful -- though perhaps "acquired taste" -- sort of way. This book satirizes American culture and makes some vitally important statements about racism and other social ills that feel timely today, decades after its publication.

>10 sparemethecensor: Good to hear you enjoyed it. That one is on my TBR pile for someday.