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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
I fall in love with this book, the scientific/sarcastic style of the writer is very unique and appealing, it is rare to get bored of one of the short stories. Highly recommended
These stories are really gross about women. They consistently have their boundaries violated and have their will bent to those of whatever man thinks he knows better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Where I live- 5/10, obligatory expository info.
Harrison Bergeron- 8.5/10. Doesn’t totally hold up with the times, feels very reactionary to the fear of pure communism, but it’s also about still breaking that system, and it is worth warning about taking equality too far. Some folks are dumb as hell, physical limitations exist.
Who Am I This Time?- 10/10. One of my top 5 short stories of all time. I adore it, I want to live in that world and be Harry, because have you seen reality? It’s a mess. Just really sweet and silly, but it’s such a cool concept that it sticks with you.
Welcome to the Monkey House- 9/10. Man, I can’t believe my HS teacher gave us to read, what a boss. It’s a lil disturbing to me even today, but Vonnegut deals with issues so masterfully. There’s no bugs now, what an amazing lil detail that’s unfortunately now a real threat. Other aspects, like Howard Johnson’s.. not so much. Solid story about bizarre state controls in the face of solvable concerns.
Long Walk to Forever- 5/10. Used to think it sweet, now it’s just kinda cliched and a bit.. off.
The Foster Portfolio- 9/10. Not very interesting until the big swing of the story, and what a doozy that change in key be. Very O. Henry-esque.
Miss Temptation- 8.5/10. I adore this one, but it’s also idealistic. People just don’t communicate that clearly, and I fear Susana would run into bigger problems with men. I like how Vonnegut sees the world though, where most men just respect this beauty’s right to be herself.
All the King’s Horses- 8/10. Thought it brilliant when I first read it, now it’s just ok. Probably better in its time, now Ender’s Game and friggin Harry Potter have put their spins on similar ideas.
Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog- 10/10. Vonnegut at his creative best. One of my favorite silly lil tales, it packs so much into its irreverent humor.
New Dictionary- 4/10. Utterly forgettable, somethin about how they keep printing new different dictionaries.
Next Door- 7/10. Again, a bit silly and over-the-top, but it’s a fun lil story of a kid not understanding adults, but trying to do the right thing. The mom’s find at the end was kinda unnecessary, liked it more without that addition, where the kid did a whole big thing and no one knows. Feels like he’ll have to explain now.
More Stately Mansions- 7/10. Another one that maybe coulda been cut earlier or differently- the reveal just feels a bit silly to me. Still, I like the idea behind it.
The Hyannis Port Story- 8/10, fun lil takedown of egotistical right-winger old men.
D.P.- 6/10. Kinda sweet story of a 1/2 black boy born in Germany, orphan, but finds some hope in the world. Idk about the ending, but whatever, be good and have faith and you’ll be rewarded, is the basic idea I got from it.
Report on the Barnhouse Effect- 10/10. Anti-war brilliance. Dude destroys weapons with his mind and governments get pissed.
The Euphio Question- 9/10. Entertaining ourselves to death. Reminds me of an experiment where rats could hit a button that’d hit the pleasure center of their brains- they stopped eating, sleeping. Scientists asked for human volunteers, and 2000 people applied. Might be apocryphal, but it’s in the same spirit. Or our phones, for instance. Anywho, Vonnegut nailed the spirit of capitalism once again.
Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son- 5/10, middling one on real love and comfort vs fame and greed.
Deer in the Works- 7/10. A free spirit takes a job at some big industrial sorta plant. A deer gets onto the property, and the dude sees the trapped animal escape- and follows suit. Another good anti-big business tale.
The Lie- 7/10. Wisdom of kids. Entrance exam thing.
Unready to Wear- 7/10. Weird one, humans don’t need bodies and are amphibious now. Disagreed with the whole “bodies suck” aspect, but the men controlling via fear was spot-on.
The Kid Nobody Could Handle- 6/10. Meh lil story about a teacher teaching a kid.
The Manned Missiles- 7/10. One of Vonnegut’s more sober pieces. Anti-war. Epistolary.
Epicac- 10/10. Wow, brilliantly inventive idea. Fun twist on the idea of sentient machines.
Adam- 7/10. Solidly captures the way we’re lost in our own little worlds, and a baby means the world to a couple. But come on, lots of people are genuinely excited for babies.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow- 10/10. Another top 10 favorite all-time short stories, and we’re getting there if the tech morons have anything to say about it.
Overall- Vonnegut’s fusion of dystopian concerns and human nature, with reflections on human goodness- it’s all outstanding. Like he wrote particularly good Black Mirror episodes in 1960. The dystopian ones are must reads, anything concerning tech or the future.
Harrison Bergeron- 8.5/10. Doesn’t totally hold up with the times, feels very reactionary to the fear of pure communism, but it’s also about still breaking that system, and it is worth warning about taking equality too far. Some folks are dumb as hell, physical limitations exist.
Who Am I This Time?- 10/10. One of my top 5 short stories of all time. I adore it, I want to live in that world and be Harry, because have you seen reality? It’s a mess. Just really sweet and silly, but it’s such a cool concept that it sticks with you.
Welcome to the Monkey House- 9/10. Man, I can’t believe my HS teacher gave us to read, what a boss. It’s a lil disturbing to me even today, but Vonnegut deals with issues so masterfully. There’s no bugs now, what an amazing lil detail that’s unfortunately now a real threat. Other aspects, like Howard Johnson’s.. not so much. Solid story about bizarre state controls in the face of solvable concerns.
Long Walk to Forever- 5/10. Used to think it sweet, now it’s just kinda cliched and a bit.. off.
The Foster Portfolio- 9/10. Not very interesting until the big swing of the story, and what a doozy that change in key be. Very O. Henry-esque.
Miss Temptation- 8.5/10. I adore this one, but it’s also idealistic. People just don’t communicate that clearly, and I fear Susana would run into bigger problems with men. I like how Vonnegut sees the world though, where most men just respect this beauty’s right to be herself.
All the King’s Horses- 8/10. Thought it brilliant when I first read it, now it’s just ok. Probably better in its time, now Ender’s Game and friggin Harry Potter have put their spins on similar ideas.
Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog- 10/10. Vonnegut at his creative best. One of my favorite silly lil tales, it packs so much into its irreverent humor.
New Dictionary- 4/10. Utterly forgettable, somethin about how they keep printing new different dictionaries.
Next Door- 7/10. Again, a bit silly and over-the-top, but it’s a fun lil story of a kid not understanding adults, but trying to do the right thing. The mom’s find at the end was kinda unnecessary, liked it more without that addition, where the kid did a whole big thing and no one knows. Feels like he’ll have to explain now.
More Stately Mansions- 7/10. Another one that maybe coulda been cut earlier or differently- the reveal just feels a bit silly to me. Still, I like the idea behind it.
The Hyannis Port Story- 8/10, fun lil takedown of egotistical right-winger old men.
D.P.- 6/10. Kinda sweet story of a 1/2 black boy born in Germany, orphan, but finds some hope in the world. Idk about the ending, but whatever, be good and have faith and you’ll be rewarded, is the basic idea I got from it.
Report on the Barnhouse Effect- 10/10. Anti-war brilliance. Dude destroys weapons with his mind and governments get pissed.
The Euphio Question- 9/10. Entertaining ourselves to death. Reminds me of an experiment where rats could hit a button that’d hit the pleasure center of their brains- they stopped eating, sleeping. Scientists asked for human volunteers, and 2000 people applied. Might be apocryphal, but it’s in the same spirit. Or our phones, for instance. Anywho, Vonnegut nailed the spirit of capitalism once again.
Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son- 5/10, middling one on real love and comfort vs fame and greed.
Deer in the Works- 7/10. A free spirit takes a job at some big industrial sorta plant. A deer gets onto the property, and the dude sees the trapped animal escape- and follows suit. Another good anti-big business tale.
The Lie- 7/10. Wisdom of kids. Entrance exam thing.
Unready to Wear- 7/10. Weird one, humans don’t need bodies and are amphibious now. Disagreed with the whole “bodies suck” aspect, but the men controlling via fear was spot-on.
The Kid Nobody Could Handle- 6/10. Meh lil story about a teacher teaching a kid.
The Manned Missiles- 7/10. One of Vonnegut’s more sober pieces. Anti-war. Epistolary.
Epicac- 10/10. Wow, brilliantly inventive idea. Fun twist on the idea of sentient machines.
Adam- 7/10. Solidly captures the way we’re lost in our own little worlds, and a baby means the world to a couple. But come on, lots of people are genuinely excited for babies.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow- 10/10. Another top 10 favorite all-time short stories, and we’re getting there if the tech morons have anything to say about it.
Overall- Vonnegut’s fusion of dystopian concerns and human nature, with reflections on human goodness- it’s all outstanding. Like he wrote particularly good Black Mirror episodes in 1960. The dystopian ones are must reads, anything concerning tech or the future.
A wonderful collection of stories from one of my favorite writers. A combination of seemingly prophetic sci-fi and stories with laser-focused analysis of where we might be going, and why that's a silly road to take.
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Harrison Bergeron, the titular story, the most (only?) entertaining book review of a dictionary ever written, people leaving their bodies and computers falling in love... this is quite probably the greatest short story collection I've ever read. Several of the stories were old favorites, many others were new to me on this read, and I loved them all.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Fun short stories, which give you something to ponder in various facets of life.