I found this style of writing incredibly compelling and entertaining, despite the very dark subject matter. Much of what he describes in the novel happened in his life, with “more or less” of it altered to fit his story. Some readers might also be surprised by the personal narrative the Vonnegut fits into the first pages. Vonnegut also tells the reader exactly how the novel is going to begin and how it’s going to end, a shocking departure from how one accepts to confront the plotline. This is exemplified by a few opening words that start the first chapter: Vonnegut vividly depicts war but does not maintain an entirely serious attitude throughout the book. He uses simple language and syntax and frequently engages with dark humor. Upon starting Slaughterhouse-Five for the first time, readers can’t help but feel surprised at the nature of Vonnegut’s prose. As recently as 2011, the book was banned in the United States. Despite this, the book has often faced censorship efforts due to profanity, depictions of sex, and how it deals with religion. Today, the novel often ranks on lists of the 100 best English-language books ever written. The book solidified his career as an anti-war writer and a symbol of pacifism throughout the 70s. This was the first time that one of Vonnegut’s novels made it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and it rocketed him into the literary spotlight. At the time, reviewers like The New York Times acknowledged its brilliance and the fact that not all readers are going to “love” it. Slaughterhouse-Five was published in positive reviews.
The latter portion added to (in Vonnegut’s own words) ensure that readers knew that he wasn’t romanticizing war. It was published with the full title of Slaughterhouse-Five, also known as The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut was published in 1969.
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