Vonnegut

I woke up this morning, sat down to the computer, and pulled up the Yahoo home page. There it was, the headline I had known would be coming someday. It wasn’t unexpected, he was 84 years old and his health had been gradually deteriorating. My favorite author since my junior year in high school had passed away.

I first came across Vonnegut when my English teacher had us read Slaughterhouse-Five, which is still one of my favorite books today. Since that time I have read just about all of Vonnegut’s books, I think there are only a couple essay collections and a play that I haven’t read. Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Fates Worse than Death, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, and Mother Night are some of my other favorites.

I have always connected with his writing and ideas more than any other author. Vonnegut introduced me to the idea of morals without religion. I had never heard of Humanism before reading Vonnegut, but now it is the easiest answer when someone asks what I believe in. I am sad that he is gone.

And because it has to be said. Kurt is up in Heaven now.

-James