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15th out of 32 books
—
330 voters
A Man Without a Country
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“[This] may be as close as Vonnegut ever comes to a memoir.”
–Los Angeles Times
“Like [that of] his literary ancestor Mark Twain, [Kurt Vonnegut’s] crankiness is good-humored and sharp-witted. . . . [Reading A Man Without a Country is] like sitting down on the couch for a long chat with an old friend.”
–The New York Times Book Review
In a volume that...more
“[This] may be as close as Vonnegut ever comes to a memoir.”
–Los Angeles Times
“Like [that of] his literary ancestor Mark Twain, [Kurt Vonnegut’s] crankiness is good-humored and sharp-witted. . . . [Reading A Man Without a Country is] like sitting down on the couch for a long chat with an old friend.”
–The New York Times Book Review
In a volume that...more
Paperback, 146 pages
Published
January 16th 2007
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 2006)
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On April 11, 2007 ,at around 6am, I awoke to NPR news announcing that Kurt Vonnegut had passed away.
Normally I would just go back to sleep, but I popped out of bed and went to my computer to confirm that it was really true (because you know how NPR gives false information all the time and shit).
Then my next thought was to go to Half Priced books and buy every Kurt Vonnegut book there.
So I set my alarm for 9am so I could make sure I was there when they opened the doors because I didn't want to h...more
Normally I would just go back to sleep, but I popped out of bed and went to my computer to confirm that it was really true (because you know how NPR gives false information all the time and shit).
Then my next thought was to go to Half Priced books and buy every Kurt Vonnegut book there.
So I set my alarm for 9am so I could make sure I was there when they opened the doors because I didn't want to h...more
Dec 18, 2011
Kristen
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kristen by:
The 18 point font and my desire to finish this fucking book challenge
Shelves:
vonnegut
"Shrapnel was invented by an Englishman of the same name. Don't you wish you could have something named after you?"
5 likes
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ဒါနဲ႔ ခင္ဗ်ားတို႔ထဲက အခ်ဳိ႕လူေတြအေနနဲ႔ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေနာက္ေနတာလား၊ တကယ္ေျပာေနတာလား ဆံုးျဖတ္ရခက္လိမ့္မယ္ဆိုတာ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ သိပါတယ္။ ဒီေတာ့ အခုကစၿပီး ကၽြန္ေတာ္ေနာက္ေနၿပီဆို ကၽြန္ေတာ္ေျပာပါ့မယ္။
ဥပမာဆိုပါေတာ့၊ ျပည္သူ႔စစ္၊ ဒါမွမဟုတ္ ေျခလ်င္တပ္ထဲ၀င္ၿပီး ဒီမိုကေရစီ သင္ၾကားပါ။ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေနာက္ေနတာ။
အယ္လ္ေကးဒါးက ကၽြန္ေတာ္တို႔ကို တိုက္ေတာ့မွာ။ သူတို႔ကိုေတြ႕ရင္ အလံသာ ေ၀ွ႔လိုက္ပါ။ အဲလိုဆို သူတို႔ အျမဲတမ္း ေၾကာက္လန္႔သြားၾကပံုရတယ္ မဟုတ္လား။ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေနာက္ေနတာ။
ခင္ဗ်ား မိဘေတြကို တကယ္နာက်င္ေစခ်င္ရင္၊ ၿပီးေတာ့ ခင္ဗ်ားကလည...more
ဥပမာဆိုပါေတာ့၊ ျပည္သူ႔စစ္၊ ဒါမွမဟုတ္ ေျခလ်င္တပ္ထဲ၀င္ၿပီး ဒီမိုကေရစီ သင္ၾကားပါ။ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေနာက္ေနတာ။
အယ္လ္ေကးဒါးက ကၽြန္ေတာ္တို႔ကို တိုက္ေတာ့မွာ။ သူတို႔ကိုေတြ႕ရင္ အလံသာ ေ၀ွ႔လိုက္ပါ။ အဲလိုဆို သူတို႔ အျမဲတမ္း ေၾကာက္လန္႔သြားၾကပံုရတယ္ မဟုတ္လား။ ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေနာက္ေနတာ။
ခင္ဗ်ား မိဘေတြကို တကယ္နာက်င္ေစခ်င္ရင္၊ ၿပီးေတာ့ ခင္ဗ်ားကလည...more
Jan 13, 2009
Chrissy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Peeps who read in the bathroom, plus everyone else.
Recommended to Chrissy by:
Nathan
Shelves:
non-fiction
The last book written by Vonnegut (I believe) and composed of short essays about various things (politics, life, human nature, death) this was a quick, delightful and sometimes depressing read. But then isn't everything Vonnegut writes some strange mix of delightful and depressing? It seems that as he has aged, Vonnegut has become less optimistic about the human species. I can't really blame him. Yet, even as he lambastes Bush, bombs, war, pollution, and the generally inconsiderate among us, he...more
Another good reads reviewer said that Kurt Vonnegut's death was such a great loss because "nobody thinks the way he did." So true, and such an understatement. There's just no other mind that works anything like his. Of course, every mind is unique, but most of us are depressingly ordinary, myself included. Sigh...
This book is an odd compilation of the meandering thoughts, observations and reminiscences of Vonnegut at the age of 82. There are some 2 star WTF moments where you have to make allowan...more
This book is an odd compilation of the meandering thoughts, observations and reminiscences of Vonnegut at the age of 82. There are some 2 star WTF moments where you have to make allowan...more
The cover quotes the Los Angeles Times as saying, “[This] may be as close as
Vonnegut comes to a memoir.” But it’s not really a memoir. Sure, it reflects upon the
past, nationally more than personally. And that’s what drives the linked essays; they’re
not personal. That’s what makes them personal.
Vonnegut shares with the reader his disillusionment: “Many years ago I was so innocent
I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America
so many members of my generation u...more
Aug 04, 2008
Meliana
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Meliana by:
sheny
Shelves:
memoir-retrosprective
reading this book is like sitting with an old friend on a couch on one lazy afternoon. you and your friend were into a pleasant and intimate talk. it just felt so good! you talked a lot; from nowhere to somewhere, from someone to no one. that's it!
then you parted. you kept that feeling of a very good chat with an old friend of you till days afterwards.
two weeks later.. after days of workload and rythm of life, you start to tell yourself:
hey, i had a nice chat with my old friend couple of weeks...more
then you parted. you kept that feeling of a very good chat with an old friend of you till days afterwards.
two weeks later.. after days of workload and rythm of life, you start to tell yourself:
hey, i had a nice chat with my old friend couple of weeks...more
2 likes
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A Man Without A Country was my first Vonnegut book since early high school (and the author's death). I should have started by revisiting a classic, because I really wanted to feel a sense of homecoming--a reunion after so many years apart. The problem with these essays is that, for the most part, you get the moral without stories. Unfortunately, Vonnegut's terrific storytelling chops aren't really on display in this book; instead you get disjointed thoughts (some of which are expressed better i...more
Jun 26, 2007
Doug
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Religious fanatics who would destroy my country
This is honestly not such a great Vonnegut book, but as I read it it became his last.
Writing-wise, it's memoirs, and rambling ones at that. However, even bad Vonnegut is touching. I gave this book to a muslim co-worker of mine after a discussion in which he insisted to me that I was a religious man, whether i believed it or not.
The coworker was really moved. He'd never heard of Kurt Vonnegut before, and in fact had never really been exposed to the half of America who did not start the war agains...more
Writing-wise, it's memoirs, and rambling ones at that. However, even bad Vonnegut is touching. I gave this book to a muslim co-worker of mine after a discussion in which he insisted to me that I was a religious man, whether i believed it or not.
The coworker was really moved. He'd never heard of Kurt Vonnegut before, and in fact had never really been exposed to the half of America who did not start the war agains...more
This is the most human of Vonnegut's works--written when he was 82, shortly before he died. It's a thin volume that can be read in one sitting--and it gives new insight into this humanist writer who loved his country and the world so much that he spent most of his life FURIOUS at how stupid people could be. Each short essay begins with a quotation from Vonnegut, and the plot diagrams in chap. 3 on "creative writing" are hilarious. But this thin volume is full of anger as well as humor--Vonnegut'...more
Some of the ideas of Kurt dont jive with me and others resonate very deeply. It is this mixture that I find coupled with the ease in which I find reading his work that draws me in every time. I burned through this book in a single evening, but I am sure I will be thinking about it for months to come.
3 likes
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It took me a LONG time to be ready to read this book after my favorite author died. It would be the last Vonnegut to read, how could I say goodbye?! But finally, as my little children slept peacefully last week, I took it up. I was not disappointed--not that I expected to be--and I command you all to read it too! Now!
I am in love with Kurt Vonnegut, and I will always regret that I never got to tell him that, may he rest in peace. And may the streets of heaven be lined in unfiltered Pall Malls.
I am in love with Kurt Vonnegut, and I will always regret that I never got to tell him that, may he rest in peace. And may the streets of heaven be lined in unfiltered Pall Malls.
6 likes
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I'm hard-pressed to think of a writer so utterly convinced of humankind's innate self-destructiveness and unshakeable will towards ugliness, yet who is so generous and fun to read. On the surface, this is an introduction to his general worldview (we are doomed, or at the very least, doomed to struggle through the chaos imposed on us by the inanities of whatever chimps happen to be in power), as seen through the lens of post-9/11 events (and especially post-'04-election despair). But also, it's V...more
It would be nice to be able to say that with A Man Without A Country, Vonnegut went out on a high note.
It wouldn't be true, though.
I'm not even exactly sure what to call this; it's certainly not a novel, it's not really non-fiction... "pamphlet" just about covers it, I guess. Either that or "rant." Because that's what he does; he rants. At 82 years old, Vonnegut was pissed off and it's heartbreaking to hear a man who's always described himself as a humanist and tried to find some good in people...more
It wouldn't be true, though.
I'm not even exactly sure what to call this; it's certainly not a novel, it's not really non-fiction... "pamphlet" just about covers it, I guess. Either that or "rant." Because that's what he does; he rants. At 82 years old, Vonnegut was pissed off and it's heartbreaking to hear a man who's always described himself as a humanist and tried to find some good in people...more
I absolutely love this book. kurts cynicism and sarcastic humor kept the frighteningly grim subject matter from becoming overbearing and coaxed me to read more. he shares alot of his views on politics, life,war, love, death, religion,sex,commercialism, and the corruption of american society- the latter part being my favorite subject matter. he makes so many summary points to what he would want his epitaph to be but i think this entire book is the perfect epitaph. his age and wisdom shines like a...more
Apr 09, 2013
Isabelle Shutt
added it
"A Man Without a Country" offers a critical perspective on a wide variety of issues in a unique and hilarious voice. It raises questions about life and humanity, covering topics like nuclear weapons, political leaders, and idealism. In his book, Kurt Vonnegut searches for the rare, truly good people, and wonders how these few saints can go through life without giving up on a world full of such cold, indifferent human beings.
"I put my big questin about life to my son the pediatrician. Dr. Vonnegu...more
"I put my big questin about life to my son the pediatrician. Dr. Vonnegu...more
I just finished re-reading Kurt Vonnegut’s A Man Without A Country. Back when it came out in ‘05, I wasn’t particularly excited about it. I was an active Vonnegut nerd and I felt like I’d heard or read or seen most of the thin book already - in interviews, online, and at a talk he gave at Smith College (I guess that was back in 2000, 2001?). It’s not a particularly great book, but it’s a sweet book with some very good bits. Half goodbye, half good luck from your bitter grandfather who talked abo...more
Warning: Not sure if this is a review or a memoir. But I think it's nice, so there's that at least.
It's his last book ever. You know that. And there's a heavy sadness in that, a finality that makes you dread reading it. To read it is kind of saying goodbye to the man, and why would you want to do that?
Vonnegut was an atheist, which I suppose is the ultimate in "closure." For him. It's so resolute, so final. So BAM. "here, gone, did some stuff in the middle, some was amazing, some was horrific, g...more
It's his last book ever. You know that. And there's a heavy sadness in that, a finality that makes you dread reading it. To read it is kind of saying goodbye to the man, and why would you want to do that?
Vonnegut was an atheist, which I suppose is the ultimate in "closure." For him. It's so resolute, so final. So BAM. "here, gone, did some stuff in the middle, some was amazing, some was horrific, g...more
Kurt Vonnegut’s “A Man Without a Country” is a collection of essays written over numerous topics he reflected on during the waning years of his life. The concepts presented range from how stories work, to his detestation of those in charge.
Many interesting ideas are brought to the reader’s attention in the essays. The best ones tend to be about his own personal opinions on politics, society, and reflections on himself and his past. Vonnegut makes the reader think, regardless of his or her own...more
Many interesting ideas are brought to the reader’s attention in the essays. The best ones tend to be about his own personal opinions on politics, society, and reflections on himself and his past. Vonnegut makes the reader think, regardless of his or her own...more
This book is very short. Vonnegut explains the sources of his humanist attitudes, his thoughts on humor and his problems with the direction the nation and world are headed in. Vonnegut is reminiscent of past encounters with family and peers, from whom he has taken many of his philosophical sayings. He's placed these sayings into several of his books, and he mentions that he also gives these sayings as advice in response to letters. This came off as a personal essay to me, which I suppose it ough...more
A Personalized Review
This book is basically Kurt Vonnegut rambling on about his life and his views for a hundred-fourty pages or so. This is fine, as now I understand him better, given that after reading "Galapagos" and "Slaughterhouse Five," I came away happy, impressed, and mildly confused. I don't consider Vonnegut an amazing writer. I think he has a great imagination, had an interesting life, and experienced events worth writing about. He's good at recording his mind's warped ramblings and...more
This book is basically Kurt Vonnegut rambling on about his life and his views for a hundred-fourty pages or so. This is fine, as now I understand him better, given that after reading "Galapagos" and "Slaughterhouse Five," I came away happy, impressed, and mildly confused. I don't consider Vonnegut an amazing writer. I think he has a great imagination, had an interesting life, and experienced events worth writing about. He's good at recording his mind's warped ramblings and...more
Something of a misnomer, this title: “A Memoir of Life in George W. Bush’s America.” Hmm. No. In fact, Kurt’s final book is another collage of pieces taken from public speeches, and various articles commissioned for the publication In These Times. Michael Silverblatt described this book as a “response to a plea”—that plea coming from the editors of Seven Stories Press, who tickled Vonnegut into writing little chunks again. Any fresh writing from an eighty-three-year-old man is hard to come by, a...more
Tragedy + time = comedy... usually. But in Vonnegut's case, it's more like tragedy + time + another tragedy = despair, disgust, and a pinch of comedy. Written in 2004, just a year into our Iraqi Freedom adventures and about a year after the mission was declared accomplished, A Man Without a Country is series of essays outlining Vonnegut's take on life, art, politics, and the condition of the American soul.
Never one to take himself too seriously (he is the author of this quote: We are here on ear...more
Never one to take himself too seriously (he is the author of this quote: We are here on ear...more
I'm on a bit of a Vonnegut kick right now. Knocking off the few I haven't read and rereading others. Quick read. More depressing than insightful. There were two chapters I enjoyed very much: one on K.V.'s luddite status and another on the "guessers" of society who tend to get power.
"Some of the loudest, most proudly ignorant guessing in the world is going on in Washington today. Our leaders are sick of all the solid information that has been dumped on humanity by research and scholarship and i...more
"Some of the loudest, most proudly ignorant guessing in the world is going on in Washington today. Our leaders are sick of all the solid information that has been dumped on humanity by research and scholarship and i...more
Jan 20, 2011
Molly Uyeda
added it
Have you ever watched a standup comedy skit and laughed so hard because you actually got all of the references? Well if you have paid attention in your American history classes, then Kurt Vonnegut's, A Man Without a Country will trigger the same emotions. Vonnegut's story takes you though American history up until 2005, and it includes all of his extremely opinionated commentary. I personally would recommend this book to individuals who have read and enjoyed another one of Vonnegut's book primar...more
I believe in full transparency here at NC.Com and that why I think it is important that you know that Kurt Vonnegut could transcribe a conversation between Matt LeBlanc & Kato Kaelin about the show Laguna Beach and I probably still call it great. It’s Vonnegut. No disrespect to Toni Morrison, but he is the best American writer still generating product. Philip Roth can suck it. Now I admit it, I didn’t get his God Bless You Dr Kevorkian, because Viacom wanted hardback pricing for a book that...more
Evidently, sometimes when you have been writing your entire life it must be difficult to stop, even when all that is left in you are the minor rants and raves of an average disillusioned aging liberal. Granted, it is always heartening to hear opposition to the mindless, violent, earth-abusing leadership now in control of this country and this beautiful planet. But Vonnegut offers us nothing more than name calling. His disillusionment, reflected in the title of this short and inconsequential book...more
I read this 'memoir' in less than three hours during a Saturday night. One can hardly call it an autobiography because the tidbits of information we get from Kurt's writing is, as usual, not very insightful towards the person's life but more towards the thoughts and humorist outlook Kurt has on the world around him. He writes these words at the age of 82, two years before he would meet his end from irreversible brain injury when he fell in his NYC home. His brain finally played a joke on him, an...more
Picked this up from work after reading KV's quote on book burning and the importance of librarians (refer to my profile for the full quote). Had myself many chuckles, like in response to: "The last thing I ever wanted was to be alive when the three most powerful people on the whole planet would be named Bush, Dick and Colon." and other satirical comments.
However, the most impacting story was "I have been called a Luddite". The issue of technology (such as computers and automated services) is som...more
However, the most impacting story was "I have been called a Luddite". The issue of technology (such as computers and automated services) is som...more
This is the last book Vonnegut published in his lifetime and without question the most biting and cynical. Some have suggested its his most autobiographical but Palm Sunday, Fates Worse Than Death, and the intro to Slapstick are just as much so if not more so. Nearly all of his books are very reflective of himself although sometimes more veiled than at other times. A Man Without a Country almost seems more like a collection of some of his more quotable anecdotes and quotations with some new, ver...more
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Kurt Vonnegut, Junior was an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist. He was recognized as New York State Author for 2001-2003.
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journali...more
More about Kurt Vonnegut...
He was born in Indianapolis, later the setting for many of his novels. He attended Cornell University from 1941 to 1943, where he wrote a column for the student newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Vonnegut trained as a chemist and worked as a journali...more
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“And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.
So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”
—
2,834 people liked it
So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”
“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”
—
1,722 people liked it
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