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Fascinating story that puts forth some very interesting ideas on the purpose of religious belief. Highly Recommended. Quotes from the text: "All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies." "Anyone who cannot understand how useful a religion based on lies can be will not understand this book either." "Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy."
My sister scolded me on Christmas morning for purchasing a new copy, only I new that it was used. I ordered this book as a Christmas gift for my sister, she gave me instructions to purchase a "used copy" because a new copy would be a waste. I definatelyrecommend buying books from this seller, the shipping is reasonable and very fast, the books are of better quality than advertised. When the book arrived, very quickly by the way, I was pleasantly suprised. The "used" copy that I purchasedlooked like new. I'll be back. Thank You.
I am glad this wasn't the first Vonnegut book I read. I enjoyed the message, but not the way it was told. I also enjoyed the reactions John had to some of the absurd things people would say, especially on the plane.
Fortunately, my first was Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut is a master at providing us with funny and ridiculous characters, and there are some in this book (although not enough to make it a great book, but still enough to make it worth a read). Had it been I probably wouldn't be enthusiastic about reading another.
And the elevator scene was a riot, funny and thought provoking. There are plenty of reviewers here who gave great, detailed synopses of the book, so I will skip that. What I found good about the book was it's commentary on religion and, more specifically, the relationship between religion and political power (Papa and Bokononists/Bokonon).
But.the book got slow in many places, and after a while it seemed almost like a chore to read. If this is your first Vonnegut book please don't use it against him if you find it boring, many of his other books (like Slaughterhouse-Five) are awesome.
Have a true love for literature. Approximately Four Hundred Amazon reviews [as of December 09]. Provocative. This book is a must read. Outrageous humor , yet no fuzzy math here. Just hazy ideation with a clear cut message. Scary and fun simultaneous , Vonnegut shows a style of his own.
Family, love, religion, war, science and government all heals as well as dooms those associated with it. Science dooms as well as heals.
He is extremely misleading in his simplistic, choppy, writing style that gives the opportunity for anybody and anybody who has a small amount of reading skill to pick this volume up and consume it. Though its simplicity is comforting the words spelled out in the metaphorical between-space of each line tells an entirely different tale.Vonnegut picks apart aspects of family and love, religion and war, science and government so well that this book is absolutely worthy of reading several times over.
Kurt Vonnegut's creation of the Cat's Cradle is a satirical, comical and yet strikingly frightening take on the human condition and here it will, inevitably, lead us. Ice-nine, the scientific creation that seems like it would be a work of genius is, in fact, a work of stupidity that eventually leads to destruction and chaos.
The most important aspect that he delves into is the concept of science. Is anyone else out there frightened of science and its ability to make new and 'better' technologies at such a phenomenal rate that eventually, inevitably, somebody is going to mess it up.
Seemingly, Vonnegut ties this aspect into all his other lessons. A positively fantastic story by a complicated, yet clear-as-day, author.
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