Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (January 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 081297736X
ISBN-13: 978-0812977363
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (292 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #74,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #22 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Reference & Collections #139 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Anthologies #346 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Essays & Correspondence > Essays
Reviews like the one below by the 23-year-old who never had read Vonnegut before this current volume remind me of Mr. V.'s statement (I paraphrase, perhaps grotesquely) that the cumulative effect of the Vietnam-war protests and of '60s activism in general was that of a banana-cream pie hurled off a stepladder: here is unquestionably the Greatest of contemporary American novelists, whose work and vision as a whole provide clarity, wisdom, and guidance with humor and love for both the survival of the species and for America--yet he remains largely ignored and neglected by the current American demos, for whom democracy is named, and reviewed by only 24 or so while the latest potboiler gets 345 reviews the very day it's published.Certainly Vonnegut himself is well aware of these vagaries of fame and influence.But let me heartily proclaim the obvious--that we truly should declare Mr. V.'s birthday a new national holiday (strapping it firmly to the one, for some, it already is on 11/11); schoolchildren should compete in Vonnegut Declamation Contests, vying to repeat from memory the longest and most salient passages from his works; we should have Vonnegut Festivals, Seminars, Television sitcoms, toothpaste, bottled water--even a Vonnegut Party in national, state, and local elections, which might well take the place of the corrupt and anemic Democrats.
If you are a humanist, you will probably dig Man Without A Country. I've read the reviews, and I'm astounded by people who take offense to Vonnegut's humanistic perspective. One reviewer below suggests that A Man Without A Country contains talking points straight from the Democratic National Committee. I checked the DNC website and couldn't identify any lines from Vonnegut's book. So it goes.Yes, Vonnegut draws connections between Bush and Hitler-they both called themselves Christians despite what many "liberal" documentaries suggest about Hitler being a pagan. But being opposed to Bush doesn't make Kurt a Democrat. Read Kurt's words, HE'S A HUMANIST. For those of you that are anti-humanists, there are plenty of sentences to be taken out of context to exploit towards your own divisive agendas. Vonnegut reminds us of a line by Shakespeare: "The Devil will quote scripture for his purpose."When did respecting each other become politically divisive? I've often wondered why respecting science is politically divisive. Kurt sheds some light on these topics among others.Look, if you think the world is all hunky-dory, this won't be your cup of tea. Or, if you dug Vonnegut's earlier work solely for his humor, you may be disappointed with this read. Vonnegut grapples with his grasp on turning out humor, about how other humorists loose their humor as they age. Vonnegut still has his humor, but he is pissed off--many readers haven't known when he has been joking and when he has been serious. For the remedial readers he annotates his jokes by saying, "I'm kidding."Just because Kurt loves humans, he isn't beyond shaking his finger at those who preach love as they drop bombs and enslave little brown folks.
A Man Without a Country Every Young Man, God's Man: Confident, Courageous, and Completely His (The Every Man Series) The Mountain Man 5 Journey of the Mountain Man (Smoke Jensen the Mountain Man) Four by L'Amour: No Man's Man, Get Out of Town, McQueen of the Tumbling K, Booty for a Bad Man (Louis L'Amour) Every Man's Battle: Every Man's Guide to Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series) Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love to Cook & Eat (New Cool Careers Without College) Victoria: Romantic Country Style: Creating the English Country Look in Your Home The Country Diary Book of Decorating: English Country Style 2014 Calendar: Country Cottages: 12-Month Calendar Featuring Delightful Photographs Of Cottages Around The Country Food Drying Techniques: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-197 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Grow the Best Strawberries: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-190 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-190) Growing and Using Garlic: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-183 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Grow 15 Herbs for the Kitchen: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-61 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Making Cheese, Butter & Yogurt: (Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-283) (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Country Living Spooky & Bright: 101 Halloween Ideas (Country Living (Hearst)) Making & Using Flavored Vinegars: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-112 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Teaching Your Cat Simple Tricks: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-272 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-272) Building Homebrew Equipment: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-186 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) Building Stone Walls: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-217 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin) What to Do When the Power Fails: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-191 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin)