Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years, with Billy occasionally traveling through time. The text centers on Billy's capture by the German Army and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war, an experience which Vonnegut himself lived through as an American serviceman. The work has been called an example of "unmatched moral clarity" and "one of the most enduring anti-war novels of all time".
What a powerful read about how pointless war is, how disconnected/dissociative people can be to each other, the power of the elite, etc. Depressing yet funny... And so human. So it goes.
Da avvicinare alla Trilogia della Città di K. Incomprensibile per gli umani.
I think the only reason for this book's popularity was the Vietnam war. The book is poorly structured and wastes a lot of time to say "it's all pointless."
The thing is: use nihilism for good, Kurt.
