Cat's Cradle: A Novel
by Kurt Vonnegut
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Book Reviews of Cat's Cradle: A Novel
Book Review: Wampeters, Foma, & Granfalloons
Summary: 5 Stars
Cat's Cradle is basically a unique and creative look at the end of the world. To me, Vonnegut is arguing that the dizzying progress of science and technology in the last century has made the total destruction of life on earth a frightening possibility, and it's not just the "bad guys" who threaten humanity with annihilation: an equal threat comes from the well-intentioned but short-sighted, from the lonely or downtrodden, from the greatest superpower to the tiniest and poorest island nation.
In other words, truly destructive technologies, once they exist, become a danger to the entire world regardless of the "good" or "bad" reasons for which they were created, and regardless of whether they fall into the hands of the "good guys" or the "bad guys." Vonnegut seems to be saying that scientific advancements cannot exist in a moral vacuum, that scientists should take responsibility for what they're creating. The need for extreme care in creating such destructive technologies is made all the more pressing because, according to Vonnegut, we as human beings are addicted to classifying ourselves into nations and religions and political parties, and then killing and dying for these classifications.
Perhaps this is the importance of Vonnegut's invention of Bokononism, the religion of the island nation of San Lorenzo: if Bokonoism offers one real truth to its followers, it's that the entire religion is made up, a "shameless lie." The result is that, instead of striving to live Bokononism as the only possible truth, Bokononists are easy going; they realize from the start that Bokononism itself is just another example of the uniquely Bokononist notion of "foma," i.e., "harmless untruths that make you brave and happy and kind." If that's the case, there's no reason to kill others who disagree with you; instead you can focus on what really matters, which for Vonnegut seems to mean creating satisfying connections with other people.
Cat's Cradle, then, is not only Vonnegut's plea for responsibility in the development of technology, but, perhaps even more fundamentally, it's the story of how we ought to simply learn to get along with each other. Luckily, it also happens to be a wildly funny, perfectly crafted piece of fiction. Great book.
Book Review: Another great read by Vonnegut
Summary: 5 Stars
Kurt Vonnegut is a well-known excellent writer. He wrote several great books that incorporate human life and emotions. One of his best works was A Cat's Cradle. This book talked about the contradiction between illusion and reality and how people valued it in their societies. It also showed the topic of science vs. religion in modern society. Vonnegut's creative style of writing made this book an interesting read. All of these reasons make A Cat's Cradle an excellent book to read and a beginning for the understanding of the world portrayed in Vonnegut's many writings. The plot of A Cat's Cradle involves humanity and the contradictions that exist in modern society. Vonnegut focuses on the theme of illusion and reality in this book which were also explored in his previous novels, Mother Night. He came to the conclusion that illusion becomes reality in people's lives. A gloomy world is depicted in this novel to show the reality of life. This book is basically about one man who wants to write a book about World War two. It leads to his investigation between the topics of science and religion. The science part of this novel discusses an atomic bomb and a fanciful "ice nine" poison. The religion part of this novel discusses the widely followed religion of Bokonism that said that God is "utterly indifferent." The topics this novel discussed were written very humorously. Every chapter had a joke at the end. It was an easy and very interesting read. The characters were exciting and easy to follow. A Cat's Cradle questioned topics of humanity and life in a very interesting and joyful way. Kurt Vonnegut's book A Cat's Cradle was an excellent read. Its theme was creative and questioned certain topics that really never discussed. Like all of Kurt Vonnegut's books the chapters are short and discuss short segments of the main character's life. After the reading the book, it makes the reader question their own life and humanity in general. The way the book is written keeps the reader consistently involved in the book. I truly enjoyed this book especially since I have read other books by Kurt Vonnegut. I hope you decide to read it and then read other selections by Kurt Vonnegut, an acclaimed and highly recommended author.Book Review: Another great read by Vonnegut
Summary: 5 Stars
Kurt Vonnegut is a well-known excellent writer. He wrote several great books that incorporate human life and emotions. One of his best works was A Cat's Cradle. This book talked about the contradiction between illusion and reality and how people valued it in their societies. It also showed the topic of science vs. religion in modern society. Vonnegut's creative style of writing made this book an interesting read. All of these reasons make A Cat's Cradle an excellent book to read and a beginning for the understanding of the world portrayed in Vonnegut's many writings. The plot of A Cat's Cradle involves humanity and the contradictions that exist in modern society. Vonnegut focuses on the theme of illusion and reality in this book which were also explored in his previous novels, Mother Night. He came to the conclusion that illusion becomes reality in people's lives. A gloomy world is depicted in this novel to show the reality of life. This book is basically about one man who wants to write a book about World War two. It leads to his investigation between the topics of science and religion. The science part of this novel discusses an atomic bomb and a fanciful "ice nine" poison. The religion part of this novel discusses the widely followed religion of Bokonism that said that God is "utterly indifferent." The topics this novel discussed were written very humorously. Every chapter had a joke at the end. It was an easy and very interesting read. The characters were exciting and easy to follow. A Cat's Cradle questioned topics of humanity and life in a very interesting and joyful way. Kurt Vonnegut's book A Cat's Cradle was an excellent read. Its theme was creative and questioned certain topics that really never discussed. Like all of Kurt Vonnegut's books the chapters are short and discuss short segments of the main character's life. After the reading the book, it makes the reader question their own life and humanity in general. The way the book is written keeps the reader consistently involved in the book. I truly enjoyed this book especially since I have read other books by Kurt Vonnegut. I hope you decide to read it and then read other selections by Kurt Vonnegut, an acclaimed and highly recommended author.Book Review: "No Cat, No Cradle!"
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've never read Kurt Vonnegut before, then you face a slight dilemma. You have two options available to you (well, really you've got more than two, but as long as you're reading this, I'm running the show and I say you've only got two):1) You can read a slew of other Vonnegut books and build up to reading "Cat's Cradle," or
2) You can read "Cat's Cradle" and be so entirely blown away that no Vonnegut book will ever again live up to your newly inflated expectations.
That said, "Cat's Cradle" is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone over the age of birth. To summarize Vonnegut's crazy, whacked out plot would be an exercise in futility: it's got something to do with the father of the atomic bomb and his three bizarre children and the narrator who will chronicle their story as they get mixed up with the inhabitants of the island of San Lorenzo, all of whom are Bokononists. Confused yet? You should be. Throw in a little bit of ice-nine, a chemical that can feasibly bring about the end of the world, and you might have a slight inkling of the pieces of Vonnegut's puzzle.
Still, for all of the crazy characters and situations in "Cat's Cradle," it's ultimately a brilliant satire of the Cold War; at one particular moment a character realizes the importance of dichotomies, why we must believe the other is "evil" for us to be able to see ourselves as "good" and how absurd such things are, how phony and constructed they are. At the heart of all this is Vonnegut's brilliant metaphor for the cat's cradle, and it's a beauty.
Even if all this political satire doesn't grab you, just the way in which Vonnegut manages to throw a dozen ridiculous balls in the air and keep them well juggled and catch them all with grace by the final page is testament to his skill. "Cat's Cradle" is a book that'll make you sit up and think, but will also make you laugh out loud and maybe even touch you emotionally, particularly during the American ambassador to San Lorenzo's speech. It's so gut wrenching and absurd and oh so wonderfully written that you'll be hooked before you even realize it. Read it; this is as good as it gets.
Book Review: Good Book
Summary: 5 Stars
The reason I chose Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is because my friend Matt Burke recommended it to me. The protagonist of the story is John and he wishes to investigate how the day the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was in the house of its inventor, Felix Hoenikker. He intends to write a book on the topic. He writes a letter to Newt, the youngest son of Felix, and with that as a starting point, he becomes even more intrigued by the issue. He decides to travel to Illium, where Felix worked, to investigate his workplace and speak with former co-workers. After visiting Illium he determines that the best way for him to get the most accurate information is to speak with Felix's other children. He tracks down Felix's oldest son, Frank, on the island of San Lorenzo and coincidentally on the way there he meets Angela and Newt (Felix's other two children). San Lorenzo is a poor island ruled by "Papa Monzano" on a variety of peculiar paradigms. Monzano is very isck and eventually commits suicide with the aid of Felix's last great scientific invention, ice-nice, an isotope of water that can instnatly freeze things. You will have to read the novel to be able to find out the thrilling twist with which it ends.
Cat's Cradle was an extremely interesting novel and I am really glad I read it. Through the telling of this somewhat bizzare story Vonnegut is able to convey some social commentary that i found to be both interesting and true. The title was very appropriate becuase it seemed to embody the overarching theme of the novel, whcih was that oftentimes humans see things and make things that simply aren't true. It seemed as if the book was written with a satiric tone, yet it was not intended to be entirely funny. It highlighted the existance of certain paradoxes that people never take the time to actually think of. For example, we readily dichotomize between good/evil but what really constitutes each? Does the man who created the greatest killing mechanism in history constitute being awarded a Noble Peace Prize? Cat's Cradle invoked critical thought and lead me to explore angles that I otherwise wouldnt have, and thus it was a good choice.