Breaking Down Vonnegut

Rediscover the work of Kurt Vonnegut with this practical guide

“Reading Kurt Vonnegut’s books in high school English classes helped spark my love of reading.”

—JOHN GREEN, author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed

In Breaking Down Vonnegut, the founder and CEO of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library delivers a concise and insightful treatment of the essential themes underlying Vonnegut’s imaginary worlds. Cloaked in science fiction, historical parallels, and social science conundrums, those themes address the major questions of life and the values by which we choose to live.

The book tackles the views of Vonnegut’s critics and explains why the author remains one of the great American voices heard and read around the world.

Perfect for middle and high school students studying Vonnegut’s work, Breaking Down Vonnegut will also earn a place in the libraries of educators, parents, and casual readers with an interest in better understanding the work of one of the United States’ most fascinating writers.