We Are What We Pretend To Be: The First and Last Works

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Called “our finest black-humorist” by The Atlantic Monthly, Kurt Vonnegut was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Now his first and last works come together for the first time in print, in a collection aptly titled after his famous phrase, We Are What We Pretend To Be.

Written to be sold under the pseudonym of “Mark Harvey,” Basic Training was never published in Vonnegut’s lifetime. It appears to have been written in the late 1940s and is therefore Vonnegut’s first ever novella. It is a bitter, profoundly disenchanted story that satirizes the military, authoritarianism, gender relationships, parenthood and most of the assumed mid-century myths of the family. Haley Brandon, the adolescent protagonist, comes to the farm of his relative, the old crazy who insists upon being called The General, to learn to be a straight-shooting American. Haley’s only means of survival will lead him to unflagging defiance of the General’s deranged (but oh so American, oh so military) values. This story and its thirtyish author were no friends of the milieu to which the slick magazines’ advertisers were pitching their products.

When Vonnegut passed away in 2007, he left his last novel unfinished. Entitled If God Were Alive Today, this last work is a brutal satire on societal ignorance and carefree denial of the world’s major problems. Protagonist Gil Berman is a middle-aged college lecturer and self-declared stand-up comedian who enjoys cracking jokes in front of a college audience while societal dependence on fossil fuels has led to the apocalypse. Described by Vonnegut as, “the stand-up comedian on Doomsday,” Gil is a character formed from Vonnegut’s own rich experiences living in a reality Vonnegut himself considered inevitable.
Along with the two works of fiction, Vonnegut’s daughter, Nanette shares reminiscences about her father and commentary on these two works—both exclusive to this edition.

In this fiction collection, published in print for the first time, exist Vonnegut’s grand themes: trust no one, trust nothing; and the only constants are absurdity and resignation, which themselves cannot protect us from the void but might divert.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, Humor, Satire, Novella, Literary Fiction

161 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

Kurt Vonnegut, Junior was an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist. He was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003.

He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journalist before joining the U.S. Army and serving in World War II.

After the war, he attended University of Chicago as a graduate student in anthropology and also worked as a police reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago. He left Chicago to work in Schenectady, New York in public relations for General Electric. He attributed his unadorned writing style to his reporting work.

His experiences as an advance scout in the Battle of the Bulge, and in particular his witnessing of the bombing of Dresden, Germany whilst a prisoner of war, would inform much of his work. This event would also form the core of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-Five, the book which would make him a millionaire. This acerbic 200-page book is what most people mean when they describe a work as "Vonnegutian" in scope.

Vonnegut was a self-proclaimed humanist and socialist (influenced by the style of Indiana's own Eugene V. Debs) and a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The novelist is known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973)

Reviews

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains some of Vonnegut's first and last writing. Quick read, but full of insight and Vonnegut's wry sense of humor. It's also interesting to see how the themes in Vonnegut's works are there at the beginning and end of his writing career. I enjoyed this book, especially the the unfinished last novel, and will be reading more Vonnegut!

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I'm not rating We Are What We Pretend to Be as a Vonnegut book. If I were, I'd probably give it a lower score. Not because it isn't any good, but rather that it isn't a great Vonnegut book. Also, it wouldn't be fair. To keep our rating criteria fair, after all, we have to rate any given thing as a thing in its own right, right?

Okay, so I'm rating this book for the overall reading experience, which, unavoidably, is influenced by my status as a longtime Vonnegut fan. I know this seems on its face to contradict what I said earlier, but it doesn't. In other words, when I rate every other book I read, I do so as a Vonnegut fan. I can't not love Vonnegut. See what I mean?

On to the book. Is Basic Training a superb story? Well, no. It's a good story, though, and as a window into the early Kurt Vonnegut, it's priceless. It's very similar to some of his early short fiction, where you can see the beginnings of the voice and wonderfully skewed worldview Vonnegut came to embody. And If God Were Alive Today, though it doesn't stand up to most of Vonnegut's better-known works, is still better than most anything else I've read lately.

In short, anyone who loves Vonnegut should read this book. Elsewhere, it's been derided as just another attempt to cash in on a writer's unprinted works. While that may or may not be true, as with most things in life--and as Vonnegut demonstrated so beautifully throughout his career--there's always more than one way to see things. Bearing that in mind, I choose to see it as one more opportunity to experience Vonnegut describing the world.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

This slim, posthumous money-grab contains two previously unpublished short works by Vonnegut. The first, complete. The second, mercifully, incomplete.
As one critic ( from the Washington Independent Review) writes, “ ….it’s hard to believe they were written by the same guy.”
So I too believe.
I also believe some things should remain unpublished.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this slim volume in my local library and couldn't resist picking it up, as it was unfamiliar to me, a big Kurt Vonnegut fan. When I got home with it, I realized I already read the first half of it when it was released as a Kindle Single (review here).

The second half is the unfinished novel Vonnegut was working on at the time of his death. The main character, Gil Berman, is supposed to be an edgy comedian in the Lenny Bruce mold, but sadly comes off as a mouthpiece for a frustrated, fed up, elderly writer, whose landmark works he is decades removed from writing. Even then, there is still some charm in what exists of the story, from its seamless non-linear telling, to some similarities -- the kind I can't quite put my finger on -- to The World According to Garp, a favorite novel of mine.

All in all, this is only for the most serious of Vonnegut fans. Anyone new to him should instead start with Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, Breakfast of Champions, or Galápagos.

[Kon R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting collection idea. The first story, Basic Training, is the first story Vonnegut wrote. The second story, If God Were Alive Today, was the last he ever wrote. In fact, IGWAT was never completed since he passed away while writing it. What a stark contrast between the two.

Basic Training is what you would expect from a first work. It's unpolished, but it has glimpses of promise. Ultimately, it fell flat for me. While it was a coherent piece of work, it was missing that Vonnegut charm we have come to love so much. Maybe if it was written by someone else I'd be more lenient. 3 out of 5 stars.

If God Were Alive Today had everything needed to become a Vonnegut classic, but unfortunately it wasn't completed. It has the same themes of anti war we've come so found of with some of his strongest humor. I enjoyed this story tremendously. Even the ending didn't feel abrupt as he is known for some quirky conclusions. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twofer of Vonnegut’s first unpublished work and his last unfinished one, gives you an executive summary of this enigmatic writer’s evolution and of his body of work that continues to challenge us.

In the first novella, Basic Training, written in the 1940s, we are introduced to a 16-year-old orphan, Haley, who has come to live with his widowed uncle, The General, and his three cousins: Annie the mother hen, Kitty the sexy but naïve middle child in search of love, and Hope, the blonde beauty who steals our hero’s heart yet who expects him to be braver than he is.

The General is a generous and kind man under the surface, but he runs his household and his farm with military precision. He works his children and Haley to the bone and will not tolerate any misbehavior from them or from his hired hand, the crazy Banghart. The central conflict in Haley is his desire to win Hope and conquer his fear, and that opportunity presents itself when a series of unforeseen accidents lead him and Banghart to go AWOL and face-off, with the General standing between them.

This story is idealistic – Haley longs to study in a music academy in Chicago, hoping to improve his present situation of being a prospectless orphan – and melodramatic, for Haley does an about-face from his cowardice while the General goes in the opposite direction during the denouement. But all ends well, like most debut novels (or novellas) do.

The second piece, written circa 2007, If God Were Alive Today, is darker, and shows us the jaded Vonnegut after coming through WWII, and writing for over half a century. Protagonist Gil Berman is a stand-up comic on the state of the world. Coming from a wealthy background, he shuns a prospective career to joke and comment on all that is wrong in America. His comments mirror his cynicism:
“The only proof of the Existence of God I need is a Third World War.”
“The illegal drugs industry is the largest industry in America.”
“The Swastika is another Christian Cross.”
“The War on Drugs is better than no drugs at all.”

Berman dismisses Nobel prize winning authors as a bunch of alcoholics (was Vonnegut suffering some jealousy here?) and notes that Sigmund Freud had been on cocaine. He disses the Bush/Gore election and labels TV as an “eraser,” for it has wiped out real human experience and transplanted an artificial one in its place. He takes up the cause of climate change and fires pot shots at political correctness around race and gender issues. A 60-year-old groupie thinks he is the re-incarnation of Jesus.

Yet Berman suffers from his angst. He has two nervous breakdowns. His father commits suicide at 42, the same age as when we meet Berman giving his final comedy performance that ends with no one laughing. His wife and daughter desert him – a cause for his comedic antics, one psycho therapist surmises.

While the first story is structured with a linear and text-book plotline, the second story is a scattershot, stream-of-consciousness rendition, resembling a stand-up comedy routine, Vonnegut’s final act of absurdity and resignation.

[Joe Kraus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a big enough Kurt Vonnegut admirer that I’m willing to read most of what he wrote. I confess that I have only limited patience for his later work, though, and this one does not change my opinion.

The second of the two novellas included here, If God Were Alive Today, has a good title and…that’s more or less it. It’s purportedly the last thing he ever wrote, and it tells me we got all the good stuff years before.

The premise is that our protagonist, Gil Berman, is a stand-up comedian who – as he nears a more or less sudden death – finds a kind of honesty in his performances. David Grossman took that same premise and created a contemporary masterpiece in Horse Walks Into a Bar. Here, though, Vonnegut fails in the first obligation for writing about a stand-up comedian: be funny. (Think how disappointing the genuinely marvelous Marvelous Mrs. Maisel would be if, after all its other excellences, the standup routines weren’t also so well written.)

Berman is not just unfunny, but he’s out of touch, and it’s painful to see Vonnegut as off his game as he is. Berman reflects – awkwardly and, ultimately, cowardly – on elements of political correctness bashing, and he seems out of touch with his culture. By extension, Vonnegut seems so as well.

There’s a thin narrative that develops, but it’s mostly a mood piece, and a weak one at that. There’s a clear reason he never published it in his lifetime, and it isn’t a favor to have had it published now.

The other novella here, Basic Training, is arguably the first thing he ever wrote. There’s evidence he tried to get it published when he was younger, but he failed and should probably be grateful that he did.

This piece has the virtue of some nice pastoral elements to it. Haley Brandon is a young man who, having lost his parents in an accident, winds up at his uncle’s farm where he falls in love with a cousin and has an adventure or two involving an “off” farm hand. The uncle is known affectionately as “the General” because he is a World War I veteran and a committed disciplinarian on the farm.

It’s striking here to see how much nostalgia Vonnegut gives to his portrait of the old General. My own interest in Vonnegut has to do with the way he gradually addresses the trauma of his time in World War II. It takes him five published novels – up to Slaughterhouse Five – before he can really address it. Still, in the published work we see his contempt for all things military and ordered. Here, though, the General – while inflexible and judgmental – is ultimately a sweet guy.

Most surprisingly, there’s a final, almost-violent climax where Haley rescues the General from the murderous farm hand, and it ends happily. In other words, this is Vonnegut, and someone comes out enriched and unironically virtuous for showing bravery in a tight spot.

The story itself is fairly weak, but it’s interesting to see Vonnegut playing with form. For that, it has historical interest.

There’s also a troubling introduction here by Vonnegut’s daughter who at one point seems quite angry with her step-mother. My sense is that Nanette Vonnegut, while otherwise disconnected from the literary executorship, had some claim to these manuscripts because they were in her possession. The result seems to be that she had to the opportunity to sell them (to Da Capo Press) on her own rather than as part of Vonnegut’s larger work.

If you love Vonnegut, there’s really nothing to see here. If you’re curious, read “Basic Training” and then give yourself just one chapter of If God Were Alive Today.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We Are What We Pretend To Be” is really two novellas, supposedly Vonnegut’s first unpublished short story, and his last unfinished novel. The two pieces could not be more different.
The first novella is called “Basic Training”, and according to Vonnegut’s daughter has hints of autobiography. It is an interesting read because as you read it you see elements that would in later works become vintage Vonnegut themes. In the story an orphaned city boy named Haley is displaced to a farm and a life managed by a strict former general for whom discipline is the only game in town. “Basic Training” seems to be about the ways we can love someone. The “General” comes across as a harsh unfeeling man, but Vonnegut undeniably endows him with a sense of pride, practicality, and love. This is a character who Vonnegut clearly likes and for the modern reader I think it is good to see a character with the General’s traits depicted in a positive light. The story is weak, but considering it was Vonnegut’s “first” piece, it is an intriguing read.
The second piece, “If God Were Alive Today”, contains elements that if you are familiar with some of Vonnegut’s speeches and writings in his last years you will have seen before. Its protagonist, Gil Berman, is a thinly disguised persona for Vonnegut and the misery that Berman describes in his life comes from direct quotes Vonnegut wrote in letters and gave in speeches, referring to himself. The piece has laugh out loud moments, and more of the Vonnegut black humor than “Basic Training”, but it is not funny. Gil Berman is a tragic figure really. A lonely man who it seems can’t recover from a mistake he made 20 years ago. The ending of “If God Were Alive Today” is abrupt and painful. It is an “unfinished” piece but the ending works. I was very quiet for a while after finishing it. The story seems to be commenting on how much pain and/or joy in life can result from long ago decisions. And that is a very sobering thought! This piece is much darker than most Vonnegut I have read. As it was composed as his life was ending, and by all accounts unhappy, it makes macabre sense.
“We Are What We Pretend To Be” does not rank with the best Vonnegut certainly, but if you are a fan and have read most of his other output you should read this. If nothing else it demonstrates the vast differences between the beginning and end of his writing career.

[Lila Vogt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I am a lifelong fan of Kurt Vonnegut. His sometimes angry, but realistic and satirical depiction of American politics, values, apathy and his consistent anti-war stance all appeal to me.

This book contains the first story he wrote in the 40's, Basic Training. He had never found a publisher before, but I found it very engaging. It is a pretty straightforward narrative, and greatly enhanced by the commentary provided by his daughter in the forward.

His last work, unfinished at the time of his death, If God Were Alive, reads like a finished work. It is a harsh satirical indictment of the American Dream; the thoughtless consumption of fossil fuels, the hypocritical War Against Drugs while the pharmaceutical industry makes fools of us all, and how political correctedness covers up a plethora of sins against the Law of the Land, as set forth in the United States Constitution.

Thanks to Mark, for giving me this book for my birthday.

[Saige · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first novella featured in this volume was quite good. I enjoyed the setup of Haley on the farm, and I thought that all the characters worked well together. It was simple but fun, maybe 3.5 stars on its own. But the second novella ruined that for me. I thought that Gil was a thoroughly unlikeable character. I couldn't care about his life or his ideas because I was too busy sneering with disgust. I also thought that it read far too much like a drug trip. The narrative and characters were all over the place. Time-skips happened without warning or clear purpose, and I found nearly all of them annoying rather than interesting. All together just not a great read, and certainly not what I've found so enjoyable about other Vonnegut works.

[Svetla Angelova]

Когато умира през 2007 г., Вонегът оставя един роман недовършен. Това е „If God Were Alive Today” – брутална сатира за арогантността сред хората и затварянето на очите пред най-големите проблеми на човечеството. Главният персонаж е университетски преподавател, който се самопровъзгласява за комедиант и се шегува с обществените проблеми и апокалипсиса в пълните университетски аули. Асоциацията със самия автор е неизбежна.

Нанет Вонегът публикува ръкописите за първи път. Тя добавя предговор, както и разсъждения върху произведенията, цялостното творчество на баща си и отношенията между двамата.

[Aditya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like 2.5 stars. The second novella is pretty abrasive, and while it’s quite the journey and a couple of thought provoking things, it’s offset by some harsh writing

[Justin ••• · Rating 1 out of 5]

Between novels and short story/essay collections I've read quite a few books by Vonnegut, and this is the one I'd rate the worst. I remember in one of the short story collections of Vonnegut published late in his life, which collected together stories he had published decades earlier in magazines, he did an introduction and was basically apologizing for the lackluster quality of the stories. By the end of that volume (whichever it was) I remembered thinking it wasn't nearly bad enough to warrant that kind of notice up front. I'm afraid I don't feel that way about this one.

[M.R. Dowsing · Rating 3 out of 5]

There have been a number of Vonnegut books published since his death, a couple of which (Armageddon In Retrospect and Where Mortals Sleep) were surprisingly strong collections, another of which (Look At The Birdie) was rather weak. Given that this new volume contains his first ever work, Basic Training, and all that survives of a final novel (six chapters of If God Were Alive Today), I suspect that the well has finally run dry as far as his fiction goes (a collection of his letters is on the way).

Basic Training is either a long short story or a short novella, depending on how you look at it. It's okay, but no great shakes. You can tell that there's some talent in there, but Vonnegut seems to have had some way to go at this point before really finding his voice.

I found If God Were Alive Today a lot more interesting, and more akin to the Vonnegut we're used to reading. It's a long way from finished, but there are some interesting ideas and really good bits of writing.

For serious Vonnegut fans I think this book is worth reading. For anyone else it probably isn't, but personally I felt privileged to experience this final glimpse of a great writer's work.

[Elisa]

I find myself not able to rate this book, as no author should be judged on an unfinished work. This book was obviously published posthumously, and contains Vonnegut’s first and last works of fiction. Reading this was like night and day for me. While his first work was a fine little story, it was not the Kurt Vonnegut I have grown to love. I am grateful for the writer he evolved into, and I can see why that first story may have never been published in its entirety until now. On the other hand, his last work rings true to the Vonnegut we all know and love. His satirist humor bites within the very first paragraph, and I immediately felt at home. In typical Vonnegut fashion, he left me wanting more. His style is so unique, that no matter what I read of his, I transcend to the same warm and fuzzy place only he can bring me.

Forever a legend, and forever my favorite. I wish everyone had a little Vonnegut in their lives.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read anything by this author, so I thought this would be a good place to start. The opening short novel is nice with a bit of humor. I was expecting something odd, offbeat, perhaps a bit darker and the second short work delivered. The first portion had younger characters, the second older and wiser/beaten. I particularly enjoyed the Prologue written by his daughter. Now on to something in between: Slaughterhouse-Five! (I'm surprised I didn't get around to this very famous novel as it always appeared on high school and college reading lists.)

[Adam Floridia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because of my long-standing love, respect, and admiration for Kurt Vonnegut, I cannot bring myself to write a real review of this. His first novella was not previously published; his final work is a work in progress. For the purposes of rating, I'm just giving this a meaningless 3*/5.

[marta the book slayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book features Vonnegut’s first ever and last ever written works, the latter incomplete. Before going into it, I thought surely I would enjoy his last work most but I was pleasantly surprised and disappointed.

His first short story follows a young orphan boy Haley as he goes to work on a farm run by The General. I felt like the pacing and plot were to my liking.

The last work he ever wrote felt a bit all over the place. I honestly didn’t like the main character and found myself wishing it was over. Perhaps it’s fault that it was unfinished and unrevised?

Nevertheless, this is a fascinating comparison of his work. Seeing the growth and shift of ideas made me realize how complex human life is.

the vonnegut collection
1. player piano
2. the sirens of titan
3. mother night
4. 2BR02B
5. cat's cradle
6. canary in the cat house or welcome to the monkey house (i owed the latter and it had majority of the short stories featured in the former)
7. god bless you, mr. rosewater
8. slaughterhouse-five
9. happy birthday, wanda june
10. between time and timbuktu
11. breakfast of champions
12. wampeters, foma and granfalloons
13. slapstick, or lonesome no more!
14. jailbird
15. sun, moon, star
16. palm sunday
17. deadeye dick
18. fates worse then death
19. galapagos
20. bluebeard
21. hocus pocus
22. timequake
23. god bless you, dr. kevorkian
24. bogombo snuff box
25. like shaking hands with god
26. kurt vonnegut on mark twain, lincoln, imperialist wars and the weather
27. a man without a country
28. armageddon in retrospect
29. look at the birdie
30. while mortals sleep
31. sucker's portfolio
32. letters
33. we are what we pretend to be
34. if this isn't nice, what is?
35. complete stories
36. love, kurt: the vonnegut love letters, 1941-1975

[Agata Babina]

Bez tam, ka par Kurtu Vonnegūtu zināju tikai to, ka viņš ir diezgan iespaidīgs anglosakšu postmodernisma pārstāvis un Kobeina vārdabrālis un to, ka "Čempionu brokastis" es lasīju laikā, kad vēl īsti nemācēju lasīt, grūti ir novērtēt šo grāmatu, kurā ir apkopoti agrāk nepublicētie Vonnegūta pirmais un pēdējais stāsts. Visvērtīgs ir paša Vonnegūta meitas Nanetes Vonnegūtas priekšvārds, kurš atklāj samērā daudz par rakstnieka personību tam, kurš viņu agrāk nav pazinis.
Vienkārši reālistiski romantisks ir pirmais stāsts par jaunu puisi Haleju, kurš audzināšanas nolūkos nokļūst fermā pie sava tēvoča, ģenerāļa, kas ar ģenerāļa cienīgām metodēm audzina savas meitas, Haleja māsīcas un pašu galveno varoni, kurš beigo beigās arī iemīlas vienā no divām māsīcām un beigas ir maz pārsteidzošas. Turpretī pilnīgi neromantisks, paradoksāls ir stāsts par komiķa Džila Bermana, kurš aizrāvies ar visa veida apreibinošām vielām, mantojis savas vecmammas un mammas pēcdzemdību traumas pasludinot sevi par seksuāli neitrālu un neieinteresētu, un kura tēvs vienmēr šķitis attāls un beigu beigās izdarījis pašnāvību, un vēl visādi psihoanalīzes vērti momentiņi, pieminot pa vidam arī pašu Freidu. Atzīmi šim nelikšu. Ķeršos klāt pie citiem Kurta darbiem.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not a literary tour de force, or groundbreaking social commentary, daugher Annette Vonnegut, introduces one of Kurt Vonnegut's first works and his last, unfinished novel. You'll recognize emergent themes of trust and trust betrayed, absurdity and humanity in Basic Training: A Novella. There's also a good bit of early autobiography, as a young Haley Brandon struggles with a parent's sudden death and finding his way forward in nine short chapters.

The final and unfinished work of one of America's great black humorists and sharp observers is called If God Were Alive today. Sixty years later, Vonnegut wrestles with some of the same themes, after a lifetime of well consider distress over our abuse of fossil fuels, our inhumanity via war and much more.

The book's title refers to a famous comment in the preface to his novel, Mother Night. One might imply that though often uncomfortable about his place in the world, Vonnegut was rarely a pretender! His daughter's commentary is charming, the stories are intriguing. Vonnegut's body of work is widely studied and considered. His is an important voice in the canon of American social satire. This brief book will be of interest to those who enjoy his voice and care about his legacy.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2012 by Vanguard Press.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) is from Indianapolis, the city I have lived in since 1998. He was always proud to be FROM Indianapolis but never moved back once he and his family moved away right after World War II. His sense of humor and cynical/sarcastic of view has often been compared to Mark Twain, but I am reminded of the humor of another Indianapolis boy a few years later who also went off to the big city and made it big - David Letterman.

This book contains the first real story written by Vonnegut and the beginning of the novel he was working on when he passed away. These are the bookends of his literary career.

The first story is called Basic Training. It was written when he was about age 30 and was never published. His daughter describes stacks of rejection letters and one can assume that this story helped create that stack.

The story is about a recently orphaned teenaged boy who goes to live on a relatives farm. He already has a college scholarship to learn music but it all is at risk because he can't seem to get the hang of how to get along with his relative that runs the farm - an old guy nicknamed "The General".

The second story is the beginning of a book about..

Read more at:
https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2021...

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of his first and last novellas, with a forward by his daughter, Nanette. The first story; Basic Training (1950), is about a 16 yr old boy going to live on his Uncle's farm. The second; If God Where Alive Today (2000) is about a stand up comedian Gil Berman, is life and struggles with mental illness. Very quick but worthwhile read.

"You and I are pretty much strangers. You weren't much more than a baby when I went away to war, so we never did have much time to get to know each other." He paused to light a cigarette. "You don't like me because you think I'm a bully, that its fun for me to push other people around". "Noooo, " objected Hope, tearfully. "I love you, Daddy, really I do." "Don't doubt it. Never did. That's an entirely different matter"

Money is dehydrated mercy. If you have plenty of it, you just add tears, and people come out of the woodwork to comfort you.

[Dominic Howarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is super interesting to watch the themes of Vonnegut’s work change, and how his energy in his writing goes from such a casual and fun escapade in his first story to this near manic level of word madness. I really enjoyed the first story and it’s simplicity - it kind of peeled back the curtain on a man who’s infamous stories are zany by nature, and that sometimes you can just tell a wonderful little tale and let it be what it is.

The second ‘story’ (which is a start to an unfinished novel) FEELS unfinished and really rough around the edges, and very hard to read in parts. Kurt doesn’t come up for air and most of the bits aren’t terribly funny, but I blame that on the rough nature of the work as opposed to anything else. Still def worth a read for Vonnegut fans!

[Elijah Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells two different stories—one written at the beginning of Vonnegut’s life, and one written at the very end.

The first story, Basic Training, is a pretty plain story. You can honestly barely notice that it’s Vonnegut writing. It’s not bad, but not what we’re used to from his unique style.

The second story, If God were Alive Today, feels more familiar to how Vonnegut writes, which makes sense. However, it feels much more hateful and pessimistic than his other books. Some parts were funny or clever, but overall it wasn’t enjoyable to read.

[Steve Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a grind to read, especially the second novella, If God Were Alive Today from which the overall flavour of both stories can be drawn, “War on drugs is bad but not as bad as no drugs at all”. The absurdity of the scenarios presented, and his commentary on the human condition are weighted against the actual absurdity of human existence, which is most likely the point.

[Paul Frandano · Rating 4 out of 5]

And thus do I join the hardy band of 3.5 Vonnegutians, having now read the beginning- and the end-works of a master who always has something to say, whether under a bright, straightforward light or suggested in a variety of layers or somewhere in between that makes his readers work a bit before coming out to a place of understanding or mystery or a wish that "If God Were Alive Today" had been completed. Regardless, Vonnegut's a unique voice, and I enjoyed both novellas.

[Keith Burgoyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're not already a fan, you probably won't enjoy it much. But as a fan, I found it reassuring, entertaining, and enjoyable.

[Rubie K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

i think my obsession with kurt vonnegut might be my biggest red flag, which is really saying something considering everything else ive got going on

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

met my expectations… first story was better than the second

i could definitely tell how vonnegut’s writing matured from reading his first work and then his last work in one book

he was definitely more zany later in life, first story was tame satire, second story was like flamboyant satire

read again: eh, probably not… i’d rather read another vonnegut book again

[Abby]

His first story and his last - what an interesting juxtaposition.

Great Trump mention in the second story, written presumably in 2007.