"[Eliot] Rosewater said an interesting thing to Billy [Pilgrim] one time ... He said that everything there was to know about life is in The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. "But that isn't enough anymore," said Rosewater."
-Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
This book certainly didn't take me one week to read. I was, however, ahead of schedule on my readings (though not on my blogging) and spent a few weeks reading it. It wasn't until about page 300 that I got drawn in.
This book is theoretical, psychological, and chock full of truths about being human. If anything, at least read the chapter, "The Inquisitor," about Jesus's return to Earth.
I feel like there is so much to say about this book that I can't do it any justice by one blog post. I would love to check out a book of essays on it because there is so much insight and knowledge within it, which can be difficult to capture considering the book is 900 pages.
My one complaint (ignoring the length) is that it can be difficult to love such an old book, when racism, sexism, etc., are so prevalent. For example, one child in the book asks if Jews kidnap and eat children for Easter. I suppose I should just ignore it, accept it as a sign of its times, but I always encounter this problem when I read older books. How should I react to this language, while the rest of the book is so thought provoking? Any thoughts? How do you deal with good books with a few bad ideas?
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