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kamkanga's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pemdas97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
alex_watkins's review against another edition
5.0
So interesting and strange. This is my second Vonnegut, and it seems like one of his most straight forward books. Still all sorts of strange connections but at least a mostly coherent timeline. Often thought of as a meditation on the apocalypse and the bomb but also the meaning/meaninglessness of life. Something about man's craziness, but I didn't really see that part. More about God's craziness. Religion and meaning are both true and lies at the same time. THere is a strange meaning and connectedness in life which creates chain reactions but to what end, and it seems to suggest none. I would like to convert to Bokononism, and really I think Scientologists would have been much better off if they chose this fictional religion.
truthwatcher_412's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
cat_book_lady's review against another edition
3.0
Remember that game we played with strings when we were kids? That game with no purpose and neverending mindlessness until you are caught in a trap that you cannot escape? A scattered web of XXXs with no form or fancy? So here we begin...
I've always had a love/hate relationship with Vonnegut's writing because of how bizarrely masterful his writing can be, making me want to pull my hair out but also laughing at his black, off-color humor and sideway insights about the truth of human beings. So here we go into the twisted mind that is Vonnegut as he creates his own religion - Bokononism - as the absurd mocking mirror of what humans seek as he also nearly sidesteps falling into true nihilism.
Vonnegut's protagonist John is researching a book that he calls "The Day the World Ended" - when the first atomic bomb developed by a fictional character (I actually had to look this up) Dr. Felix Hoenikker was dropped on Japan. Such begins the quirky, satirical tale of John's interviews with Hoenikker's three children (one being a midget), his supervisor, the elevator operator, cab drivers, the cemetarian in Ilium, New York where the actual Manhattan Project was located, the island of San Lorenzo (where coincidentally Bokoronon grew up, and where John becomes President). His thread of meandering from one person to the next - which actually gives him a dearth of information for his book - is shake-your-head comically fun. The cast of characters is so imaginatively mind-boggling that I can't help but marvel at Vonnegut's creativity. Don't forget, too, the innocent superweapon Ice-Nine (a bit of a farce against the atomic bomb).
Vonnegut himself tells the truth as he sees it: Man is vile, and man makes nothing worth making, knows nothing worth knowing. Truth is the enemy of the people, because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies. Vonnegut's sense of priceless equilibrium between good and evil is seen through his idea of Dynamic Tension in that good societies could be built only by pitting good against evil, and by keeping the tension between the two high at all times.
Vonnegut best exemplifies his feelings towards religion in his Bokonon poem "Calypso":
"Papa" Monzano, he's very bad,
But without bad "Papa" I would be so sad;
Because without "Papa's" badness,
Tell me, if you would,
How could wicked old Bokonon
Ever, ever look so good?
And of course, some of Bokononists ' best doctrine with a bit of nomenclature thrown in:
"Busy, busy, busy is what we Bokononists whisper whenever we think of how complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is."
"Humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God's will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called a karass."
"The folly of pretending to discover, to understand... She was a fool, and so am I, and so is anyone who thinks he sees what God is doing."
"I don't know whether I agree or not. I just have trouble understanding how truth, all by itself, could be enough for a person."
"Vin dit - a sudden, very personal shove in the direction of believing that God Almighty knew all about me, after all, and that God Almighty had some pretty elaborate plans for me."
"Wrang-wrang - a person who steers people away from anyone of speculation by reducing that line to an absurdity."
And there you have it. This is Vonnegut, a man who survived the horrible Dresden bombing in WWII and now enlightens us with his fractured mind and satiric commentary on humanity and its need for religion. I can't say I love it, I can't say I hate it. But I will always, always remember it.
I've always had a love/hate relationship with Vonnegut's writing because of how bizarrely masterful his writing can be, making me want to pull my hair out but also laughing at his black, off-color humor and sideway insights about the truth of human beings. So here we go into the twisted mind that is Vonnegut as he creates his own religion - Bokononism - as the absurd mocking mirror of what humans seek as he also nearly sidesteps falling into true nihilism.
Vonnegut's protagonist John is researching a book that he calls "The Day the World Ended" - when the first atomic bomb developed by a fictional character (I actually had to look this up) Dr. Felix Hoenikker was dropped on Japan. Such begins the quirky, satirical tale of John's interviews with Hoenikker's three children (one being a midget), his supervisor, the elevator operator, cab drivers, the cemetarian in Ilium, New York where the actual Manhattan Project was located, the island of San Lorenzo (where coincidentally Bokoronon grew up, and where John becomes President). His thread of meandering from one person to the next - which actually gives him a dearth of information for his book - is shake-your-head comically fun. The cast of characters is so imaginatively mind-boggling that I can't help but marvel at Vonnegut's creativity. Don't forget, too, the innocent superweapon Ice-Nine (a bit of a farce against the atomic bomb).
Vonnegut himself tells the truth as he sees it: Man is vile, and man makes nothing worth making, knows nothing worth knowing. Truth is the enemy of the people, because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies. Vonnegut's sense of priceless equilibrium between good and evil is seen through his idea of Dynamic Tension in that good societies could be built only by pitting good against evil, and by keeping the tension between the two high at all times.
Vonnegut best exemplifies his feelings towards religion in his Bokonon poem "Calypso":
"Papa" Monzano, he's very bad,
But without bad "Papa" I would be so sad;
Because without "Papa's" badness,
Tell me, if you would,
How could wicked old Bokonon
Ever, ever look so good?
And of course, some of Bokononists ' best doctrine with a bit of nomenclature thrown in:
"Busy, busy, busy is what we Bokononists whisper whenever we think of how complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is."
"Humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God's will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called a karass."
"The folly of pretending to discover, to understand... She was a fool, and so am I, and so is anyone who thinks he sees what God is doing."
"I don't know whether I agree or not. I just have trouble understanding how truth, all by itself, could be enough for a person."
"Vin dit - a sudden, very personal shove in the direction of believing that God Almighty knew all about me, after all, and that God Almighty had some pretty elaborate plans for me."
"Wrang-wrang - a person who steers people away from anyone of speculation by reducing that line to an absurdity."
And there you have it. This is Vonnegut, a man who survived the horrible Dresden bombing in WWII and now enlightens us with his fractured mind and satiric commentary on humanity and its need for religion. I can't say I love it, I can't say I hate it. But I will always, always remember it.
aya_the_papaya's review against another edition
4.0
A wild ride - absurd and funny and interesting! I enjoy Vonnegut's tongue-in-cheek futilism as a way to reflect on humanity, but it can get quite cynical.
kennethwade's review against another edition
Dated at times but I loved the writing style and was thoroughly engaged
crustywhitedog's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
southalexander's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0