4.25.2008

Slaughterhouse-Five

I like to take a little variety in my reading. Admittedly, that variety often comes in the form of different types of vampire books, but this applies more to genres. I try to change up the genre of book every now and then. Graphic novel, sci-fi, supernatural (vampires!), non-fiction, and classics.As my favorite author cites Kurt Vonnegut as one of his recommended authors, and knowing that Slaughterhouse-Five is considered to be a 20th Century classic, I decided to give it a go. And I was not disappointed by the ride.

Excuse Deterrence Checklist:
  • Not enough time. S-F clocks in at a whopping 224 pages, which is pretty short compared to even your shortest Harry Potter tome.
  • Not enough money. The book has been in mass-market paperback for years, meaning over at Amazon you can get the book for about a buck plus shipping if you wanted.
  • Not interested in an anti-war book. It's not what you think it is. Here's the first line: "Listen, Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time."
Slaughterhouse-Five struck me as funny, moving, thought-provoking, and entertaining. I have said that Capote used foreshadowing the best (in In Cold Blood), but now I can say that Vonnegut used it the funniest. I can say that I've never read a book like it, and I'm sad for not having read it years ago. But even sadder still if you don't accept my recommendation. Then you would be a fool!

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