Guest Review: And So it Goes, Kurt Vonnegut: A Life by Charles J. Shields

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Format: Review Copy

Purchase: Indie Bound

Michelle's Notes:

My husband was kind enough to offer to read and review this one. It sounded interesting to me but honestly I could not see myself reading an entire bio of Kurt V. Not one of my favorite authors. I always like sharing my reading adventures with those that I love and this one suited my guy. Here are his thoughts on this book. Thanks for sharing!

Sean's review:

I remember first finding Kurt Vonnegut in middle school, and being somewhat confused, as he was touted as being a male-centric writer who championed the anti-establishment. After reading his stuff, I never did get the impression that he was some lefty, hippy, feel good guy;in fact, he seemed a tortured soul. His verbose and casual writing style was laced with acerbic wit and often uncomfortable lead characters, leading me to wonder "What kind of guy would write this craziness?" Well, this book sets out to answer that exact question.

I found the research end of it to be thorough, and the author stayed rather impartial; always nice in a memoir. This book laid to rest many of the misconceptions about Kurt, and provided a detailed history behind the man and his family. It puts a frame of reference around his books and even provides perspective into the heavily flawed characters he was so fond of using.

I would recommend this book for anyone curious about Kurt Vonnegut and his past, and how a person can become the unwilling face of a generation. Much like Jack Kerouac with the "Beat generation", Kurt was assimilated into the "Hippy" movement even though neither wanted their respective label. A very good read, if a little dry at parts.

Author Website:

Kurt Vonnegut

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child