A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY  Kurt Vonnegut

 Review:  Jim Abbott 2-23-06

 Kurt Vonnegut has historic connections to Montgomery Center.  Those who remember as “Kilgore’s” that fine old building now housing the Trout River Traders, might also know that Kilgore Trout was a fictitious science fiction writer who appeared in several of Vonnegut’s books. That’s where the “Kilgore” came from.

  Vonnegut remains a dear and revered author to all of that original Saloon group.  On the back page of the book there’s an embossed stamp “Ex Libris Tim Murphy.” “Ex Libris” means “from the library of.” It’s nice to know some Latin and Tim Murphy, the only Kilgore’s person to maintain a permanent Montgomery residency, appropriately makes this book our gift. Thank you Tim.

On the book: If you’ve read and liked any other of his books, you’ll like this. Vonnegut is a WWII Vet, now a pacifist, who, as a POW survived the fire bombing of Dresden (see Slaughter House 5).  He’s a “Black Humor Humanist," of simple and direct style.  Some examples from the book:

 On Death:  “and if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say ‘Kurt’s up in heaven now.’ That’s my favorite joke.”

 On Jesus: “I say of Jesus, as all Humanists do, ‘If what he said is good, and so much of it is absolutely beautiful, what does it matter if he was God or not?’”

 On Vietnam:  “That war only made billionaires out of millionaires. Today’s war is making trillionares out of billionaires. I call that progress.”

 On Ideas for a really scary Reality Show: “C-students from Yale.”

 Pessimistic? Cynical? Maybe. But with deference to honor and kindness. And to keep smiling.