<p>The part in Slaughterhouse 5 where Billy Pilgrim watches a war documentary in fowards and reverse is probably one of the single most moving things I have ever read. Of course, I think I say that about any Vonnegut book I read.</p>
<p>He was without a doubt one of the greatest writers that ever lived, the world will be a darker place without him.</p>
<p>Yes, scenes like those are what stimulated me to create this thread. I have heard much criticism of Vonnegut from my fellow peers, but what I have learned is this criticism is because many people do not like the dark and mysterious nature of his books. They like bright, happy, novels, whether of romance (like Ayn Rand), or of war (Hemingway), or of vengeance (Dumas), or of any other topic. But what they do not understand is that Vonnegut is great because he was one of the few courageous enough to explore the tragic parts of humanity, the absolute grimmest details, and then report them in a shocking way that other people usually never see in their lives. And by trying to educate the world on things they otherwise would never learn, Vonnegut had become one of my favorite writers.</p>
<p>You said an interesting thing coledoesntcare, “the world will be a darker place without him.” Such may sound ironic since his novels were all sooo dark, but after one actually destructs his books, and searches for the meanings in his enigmas, one can see a beautiful panoramic view of human nature that would bring light to places that otherwise would never escape the dark. And that is indeed why this world will be now a bit darker without him; we have lost the Mark Twain, the George Orwell, the Aldous Huxley of our time–Kurt Vonnegut, so it goes.</p>
<p>I have to go with The Children’s Crusade. haha. That should seperate the people who have really read his books from those who haven’t. I also still fondly remember the day I sat down and read Cat’s Cradle straight through without getting up.</p>
<p>btw, I don’t think all the great post-moderns are gone, I happen to think that Joseph Heller is still around. But I could be wrong.</p>
<p>In case some are wondering, The Children’s Crusade is the same as Slaughterhouse-Five, just an alternate title because a lady Vonnegut met before selecting the final title suggested how WWII was a “children’s crusade” since all the fighters were so young–they even had “baby fat” as Vonnegut puts it. The lady was one of the people Vonnegut dedicated the book to.</p>
<p>I hope that wherever he is, everything is beautiful, and nothing hurts. I cried. </p>
<p>Reading Kurt Vonnegut completely changed the way I think about the world. My favorite is probably Cat’s Cradle, but I loved Slaughterhouse-Five too. He certainly had a gift. From some of the news articles I’ve read on him since his death, he was ready. One interviewer spoke with him in 2005. He told the interviewer about himself to illustrate a point about how he felt then(in 2005). From the Washington Post Article (April 12, 2007) </p>
<p>{{When the war was over, Vonnegut had trouble getting out of the army. “They found out I could type and they sent me out to Fort Riley and I was typing other people’s discharges,” he said, laughing at the memory. “And my feeling was then: Please, can’t I go home? I’ve done everything I was supposed to do.”</p>
<p>He stopped laughing.</p>
<p>“So that’s how I feel now,” he said. “Please, I’ve done everything, you know? Raised kids and all that, worked, tried to do good work – can’t I go home now? And I think about where home is. It’s Indianapolis when I was 9 years old, and you can’t go back there. But I had a mother and a father, a big sister, a big brother, a dog, a cat – and yeah, that’s where I’d like to go.” }}</p>
<p>That’s the wonderful thing about books, though. His novels will remain, so whenever I want to make myself angry, cynical, elated, amused, and reminded of what life really is all at once, I can pick up a Vonnegut book. </p>
<p>Too bad we don’t see in 4 dimensions, I’d like to be able to see him in a better moment than this one.</p>
<p>I literally cried. I remember reading Slaughterhouse when I was younger. I can still taste the sweet realization that success and insanity CAN come hand in hand!</p>
<p>That’s one less worthwhile human being on this planet…</p>
<p>Cat’s Cradle = <3</p>
<p>Haha yeah, as good ol’ Bill Pilgrim would say " So it goes".</p>
<p>Schlachthof-funf. My gosh, what an amazing book.
I’m currently reading Galapagos as well. We’ll see where that goes lol.
I can’t say my favorite, because I am afraid that I do not have one. I have not read nearly enough of his books to choose one.</p>
<p>I’ll cast my vote for Slaughterhouse 5 as well, although I loved Galapagos and Cat’s Cradle, too. He will be missed.</p>