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Dead-Eye Dick
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About the author
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
731 books37.6k followersKurt 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)
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)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 3, 2025
What a quirky, totally wacky story, with enough flashbacks and flash-forwards that you wouldn't think it would ultimately make sense. But it does. This novel is certainly not as well known as Vonnegut's other books (I picked it up at a used-book store in Bordentown, NJ), but it's equally engaging, funny and profound. Who else could write an amusing story with such disparate topics as Hitler, NBC, art, guns, military contractors and Haitian shamans. Oh, and a neutron bomb that Americans drop on an Ohio city. Written in 1982, the book is surprisingly relevant, with lessons that very much apply to 2025 America. Worth searching for!
April 13, 2026
Impressive. Depressing and hopeful somehow at the same time. These would be the best words to describe my impressions.
I do not think that when I picked up that book from the shelf or read the name of the author and the title I had any idea of what I was going to read. It actually took me some time to make myself start reading, to physically open the book, but reading was really enjoyable.
Some characters just get under your skin more than you expect, and that is what the main character was to me. Average fictional place, average fictional hollow and not that hollow character, the story of failures and being average and somewhat mediocre, while being more real and honest.
It is not what I imagined I would read. The character building level alone can make this book my favorite book. It is one of the most interesting things I've read in a while as it is unique and keeps you thinking about the peepholes.
This books is awfully underrated. The book I took from the library was this exact edition of 1983 and it was taken out only 13 times. And one of them is mine, the only one this year. There are not other editions in the regional library and I do not think there is the local language version available. Do people even read?
And I wish I read it while I grew up during the boom of social media, internet and fake storytelling about how great everyone else it. It would have spared my feelings in teenage and young adult life.
I do not think that when I picked up that book from the shelf or read the name of the author and the title I had any idea of what I was going to read. It actually took me some time to make myself start reading, to physically open the book, but reading was really enjoyable.
Some characters just get under your skin more than you expect, and that is what the main character was to me. Average fictional place, average fictional hollow and not that hollow character, the story of failures and being average and somewhat mediocre, while being more real and honest.
It is not what I imagined I would read. The character building level alone can make this book my favorite book. It is one of the most interesting things I've read in a while as it is unique and keeps you thinking about the peepholes.
This books is awfully underrated. The book I took from the library was this exact edition of 1983 and it was taken out only 13 times. And one of them is mine, the only one this year. There are not other editions in the regional library and I do not think there is the local language version available. Do people even read?
And I wish I read it while I grew up during the boom of social media, internet and fake storytelling about how great everyone else it. It would have spared my feelings in teenage and young adult life.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews