Monday 1 January 2018

"Slaughterhouse Five"


   Grandson David has studied philosophy and is a fan of Nietzsche.  I had asked him about Nietzsche's theory of eternal return when I was trying to read "The Unbearable Lightness of Being".
  Perhaps something from that discussion made him think that I would be interested in this book that he had just read.  He offered me his copy.  And these pictures tell you what I thought of the cover.
The plot:
   Billy Bishop was born in New York state in 1922, became an optometrist, spent time in the army in World War II, married, had children, was in a plane crash, was kidnapped by aliens- but certainly not in this order - or any order that I could find.
   Billy Bishop traveled in time.  
  When he was captured by aliens, he was taken to their planet named Tralfamadore, where he learned that "all moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist."
   Billy Bishop was "unstuck in time", traveling between periods of his life, unable to control where he would land. Can you see my problem with this book?
   However, I really tried to suspend all rational thinking and just go with the flow as much as possible.  When Billy first experienced time-shifting, he was able to see his entire life, from beginning to end.  I have to admit there were parts of the plot that interested me, but it is certainly out of my reading comfort.
   I found several other covers that I would have preferred.
   There actually are many themes that are explored in this novel. Anti-war is the one aspect that caught the attention of college students.  The subtitle is "The Children's Crusade" because the soldiers in W.W.II were SO young.  The bombing of Dresden was actually experienced by the author.

   
   This cover shows that the book has won many awards, as a book and as a film.
   But, it has also been banned and is still being banned.

   

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