Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons

Hilarious, frightening, saddening, moving. I love this book and open it often, just to dip in and out, when I need some Vonnegutian insight and humor. It collects his nonfiction from 1965 through 1973, and the contents comprise one gem after another. You find KV expounding on subjects he hasn't engaged elsewhere, like murder (the Cape Cod serial killer Tony Costa), yachting ("Brief Encounters on the Inland Waterway"), and popular spiritualism (the once-notorious Madame Blavatsky). Since many of the pieces date from the late '60s and early '70s, you find him also expressing his own version of disgust and moral outrage at the various wars of attrition then being fought by America and other nations. Then there are the incisive speeches, the modest tributes to the unsung, and a classic Playboy interview. The reviewers are correct who say this collection is more for the Vonnegut fan than the casual or uninitiated reader, but once you've crossed the line from observer to fan, "Wampeters" will flesh out your experience of KV's fiction in surprising ways.

The three words relate to lies, general screwups, and artificial families such as fraternities or the army, and are based on Father Kurt's creation Bokonanism from "Cat's Cradle". These essays are a look into the mind of a true original and should not be ignored. Highly recommended from one who has read every Vonnegut novel and essay he could get his hands on!

This book offers my idea of the essential quick-reading; short, quip-loaded, quasi-autobigraphical chapters on the life and mind of Vonnegut. Particularly memorable is his "On my own death", a three-paged pontification on the remembrance of dead authors. A must-read for any Vonnegut afficionado, and an enjoyable collection of anecdotes for the bathroom or bedtime reader!

I had forgotten how much I liked vonnegut. if you haven't read him in a while, and don't care to read or reread one of his novels, this is the book for you. get the straight dope from the mans mouth in the many interviews. I found myself bumping around from section to section haphazardly, and then realizing that I had finished it all. its just that scattered.

I have read most of Vonnegut's books and I rank this near the top. It gives the reader a chance to get Vonnegut's incisive views on a wide range of issues. This is a must read for Vonnegut fans.