Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th anniversary editionA special fiftieth anniversary edition of Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece, “a desperate, painfully honest attempt to confront the monstrous crimes of the twentieth century” (Time), featuring a new introduction by Kevin Powers, author of the National Book Award finalist The Yellow Birds Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.” An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it. Authors as wide-ranging as Norman Mailer, John Irving, Michael Crichton, Tim O’Brien, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Strout, David Sedaris, Jennifer Egan, and J. K. Rowling have all found inspiration in Vonnegut’s words. Jonathan Safran Foer has described Vonnegut as “the kind of writer who made people—young people especially—want to write.” George Saunders has declared Vonnegut to be “the great, urgent, passionate American writer of our century, who offers us . . . a model of the kind of compassionate thinking that might yet save us from ourselves.” More than fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut’s portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties. |
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Amazing book. Many twists and turns, but an amazing book. The way Vonnegut writes it makes it very unique. I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of their preferences.
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All 10 reviews »For me, this is the best book I have ever read. It deals with concepts and ideas most stories do not, or at least not in such a captivating and unique way. Pay attention and you will enjoy immensely
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American asked babies became Billy Pilgrim Billy's blue body bomb boots called closed coat coming course cross dead death didn't died door Dresden Earthling Edgar Derby Englishman eyes face famous father feet fire flying four friends front gave German give goes going gone green guards hands hard head heard hospital human hundred Ilium inside Kilgore killed knew Lazzaro letter light live looked mother move never night O'Hare opened person picture plane play poor prison Rosewater Rumfoord Russian saucer seen shot side sleep soldiers stopped story supposed taken talk tell thing thought told took train Tralfamadore Tralfamadorians traveled Trout turned Valencia wall wanted Weary Weary's woman wonderful write
Popular passages
Page 1 - All this happened, more or less. The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true. One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn't his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to have his personal enemies killed by hired gunmen after the war. And so on. I've changed all the names.
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th anniversary edition Modern Library 100 Best Novels |
| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Contributor | Kevin Powers |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Random House Publishing Group, 2009 |
| ISBN | 0440339065, 9780440339069 |
| Length | 240 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Literary Fiction / Satire Fiction / War & Military |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |