One of the greatest minds in American writing, Kurt Vonnegut has left an indelible impression on literature with such inventive novels as Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse- Five and Breakfast of Champions. Now this iconic figure shares his often hilarious and always insightful reflections on America, art, politics and life in general. No matter the subject, Vonnegut will have you considering perspectives you may never have regarded. On the creative process: "If you want to really hurt your parents . the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding." On politics: "No, I am not going to run for President, although I do know that a sentence, if it is to be complete, must have both a subject and a verb." On nature: "Evolution is so creative. That's how we got giraffes." On modern cultural attitudes: "Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals." And on the fate of humankind: "The good Earth-we could have saved it, but we were too damn cheap and lazy." A Man without a Country showcases Vonnegut at his wittiest, most acerbic, and most concerned. Beyond the humor and biting satire is an appeal to all readers to give careful thought to the world around them and the people they share it with.
Download and start listening now!
"Reading this book was like having a conversation with a smart friend over coffee. It's also short so it only took me a couple of hours to read. It is at times ranty, but in a good way. I enjoyed it." — Iz (4 out of 5 stars)
"Reading this book was like having a conversation with a smart friend over coffee. It's also short so it only took me a couple of hours to read. It is at times ranty, but in a good way. I enjoyed it."
“Like his literary ancestor Mark Twain, [Kurt Vonnegut’s] crankiness is good-humored and sharp-witted…[Reading A Man Without a Country is] like sitting down on the couch for a long chat with an old friend.”
“Filled with [Vonnegut’s] usual contradictory mix of joy and sorrow, hope and despair, humor and gravity.”
" At least Vonnegut has the presence of mind to acknowledge that life has taken the funny away from him. But that doesn't make the funny come back. It's still gone. "
" I love reading the works of bitter, bitter old people (who are humanists). "
" I loved it. I've never read anything so cynical and laughable. A good note to end on. "
" we are here on earth to fart around. don't let anyone tell you different. "
" My first experience with Vonnegut, and I absolutely loved it. "
" Without a doubt, this is my favorite memoir of all time. I have read it cover to cover countless times in one to two sittings. I wish I could be this honest on paper. "
" Vonngeut was a god-damned genius. That's all I can really say. "
" A quick read with some classic Vonnegut quips. "
" Beautiful and funny. Definitely shows a man who has seen and thought a lot in and about life in a world run by men "
" Vonnegut lifts the veil over his signature brand of misanthropic humanism, with some precious illustrative jokes (because we need them). "
" He will be truly missed. I wish he could have seen Barack Obama elected. "
" Kurt still has it at 82 years old. The essays restate his belief that climate change is going to be the end of us, but it's still funny! "
" Vonnegut being Vonnegut. Everyone should read this. "
" An intersting look at an enlightened man's view of the world today. "
" I love Vonnegut's screwball sense of humor; what a treasure! He strikes that chord between the bizarre and the real brilliantly yet again with this one.I did plenty of laughing and crying. "
" You can't not love this man - may he live forever. "
" This was some form of a memoir, but really mostly kurt vonnegut's thought on a number of subjects. If you've read a lot of vonnegut there will be some stuff you've heard before but it works well together as one piece. "
" This is the most daring, honest and mostly true book I've ever read about my grand ole' country...congrats Vonnegut...you saw a little too clearly... "
" Brilliant essayist written in simplistic form. "
" Read TimeQuake. It's the same book. "
" Satirical and good. "
" i took this short book on a trip and read it really quickly. it made me laugh out loud even as he expressed despair for humanity. "
" The quickest I have ever read a book! "
" Great thoughts from a great thinker. "
" Just because someone is a good author doesn't mean he's not bat-crap crazy. "
" "If this isn't nice, then I don't know what is." "
" Short but sweet. Every single one of these little vignettes from Vonnegut's life and philosophy packs an amazing and powerful punch. So good. "
" This is a tough book to review. There are sections of it that I really enjoyed and sections that I thought were terrible. A lot of the book strikes me as an old man ranting. Other sections, have common sense wisdom. It's a tough call. "
" This is the first Vonnegut I've read, and I really enjoyed it. it was easy to read and quite humorous in places. "
" You just cannot go wrong with Mr. Vonnegut "
" vermakelijk, redelijk scherpe kritiek, zonder in zulke extremen te vervallen als Michael More, wel zelfde soort kritiek, ook enkele puur grappige stukken "
" Absolutely bloody brilliant. Pure 100% Vonnegut from start to finish. A must-read for any Vonnegut fan. "
" Vonnegut's essays on the world, circa 2004ish. Told with his usual gallows humor and humanism. "
Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) was a master of contemporary American literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America’s attention in The Sirens of Titan in 1959 and established him as “a true artist” with Cat’s Cradle in 1963.
Norman Dietz is a writer, voice-over artist, and audiobook narrator. He has won numerous Earphones Awards and was named one of the fifty “Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile magazine. He and his late wife, Sandra, transformed an abandoned ice-cream parlor into a playhouse, which served “the world’s best hot fudge sundaes” before and after performances. The founder of Theatre in the Works, he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.