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Aliens, Time Travel and War Slaughterhouse 5 – Kurt Vonnegut

April 5, 2015 by Elmien Ackerman

final-jess-reading

Jess reading Slaughterhouse 5 after sneaking into class.
Gilmore Girls Season 2 Episode 19 Teach Me Tonight

Billy Pilgrim was a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during the Second World War. The novel centres on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden. But the story about war is interjected with tales of Billy’s honeymoon, a horrible ski accident and the time he was taken prisoner by an alien race he calls the Tralfamadorians. Billy it seems has come unstuck in time and can move freely between any point of time in his life.

I have to be honest I didn’t know what to make of Slaughterhouse 5. I expected a book about war but Slaughterhouse 5 is something completely different. The few times the novel actually describes war situations are horrific. These scenes include dehydrated, bleeding horses and POWs unwittingly using soap and candles made from human bodies. These horrifying events are, however, countered by accounts of alien abduction and honeymooning in Cape Ann, Massachusetts.

The Tralfamadorians

slaughterhouse-5

Just as Billy would recall (or rather relive) these horrible events he would become unstuck in time and travel to a different point in his life. Mostly Billy would travel to where he was kept in an apartment like an animal in a zoo by the Tralfamadorians. The Tralfamadorians are a fictional alien race that kidnapped Billy in order to observe him.

The Tralfamadorians have an interesting outlook on life. They choose to ignore anything that is unpleasant. In the novel they know that a test pilot will press a button that destroys the Universe and yet they do nothing to stop him.

“He has always pressed it, and he always will. We always let him and we will always let him. The moment is structured that way.” Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5.

They seem to not take any responsibility for their actions. In the same way Billy seems to distance himself from the war. He seems to remind himself that there is nothing that he could have done to stop the bombing; the moment was simply structured that way. “So it goes”, is a saying that Billy uses throughout the novel whenever anyone dies. By repeating this whenever someone dies Billy seems to remind himself that it is simply how the world works and that there is nothing that could have been done. It seems to help Billy cope.

It ends where it begins

There are no spoilers in this review as it is not that kind of plot. The concept of chronology is rejected as the first and the last sentences of the novel are put next to each other in the first chapter:

“It begins like this: Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. It ends like this: Poo-tee-weet?” –Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5.

There is no tension in the novel as we know exactly how it is going to end. The first and the last chapter of the book are written in first person. Vonnegut starts the novel by stating: “All this happened more or less”. Throughout the rest of the novel Vonnegut takes an omniscient point of view but he also mentions that he was a prisoner of war alongside Billy Pilgrim. It would seem that a part of the novel is based on Vonnegut’s own experience as a POW.

Slaughterhouse 5 was just too strange for me. I found the timeline confusing. Maybe I’m missing something but I really didn’t enjoy it. I kept hoping that the ending would be different as to what was quoted in the first chapter and was disappointed that it ended exactly as Vonnegut said it would.

Even though I disagree with most of the things the Tralfamadorians believe, I did like this quote:

“That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones.” Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse 5.

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An obsession with reading and a love for the show Gilmore Girls has led to Where Books Lead.

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South African book blogger
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"The people who stand before kings may look like t "The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” – Malcolm Gladwell
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“The best kind of writer – the kind who makes “The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius.” – Dominic Maxwell, The Times 
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Dominic Maxwell perfectly sums up how I feel about Malcolm Gladwell's writing.
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Read my full review of Outliers on Where Books Lead (link in bio).

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“Successful people don’t do it alone. Where th “Successful people don’t do it alone. Where they come from matters. They’re products of particular places and environments.” – Malcolm Gladwell 
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Still busy devouring all things Gladwell. I’ve just finished his podcast Revisionist History, and I’m anxiously awaiting season 6. If you haven’t listened yet, I highly recommend it. Gladwell’s soothing voice, captivating anecdotes, and fascinating historical facts are bound to provide you with a new perspective on the past.
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Have you listened to Revisionist History? What's your favourite podcast? I love Revisionist History and Armchair Expert – they're my favourites.

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I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Rec I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Recently finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – it was so good (link in bio for my full review). Blink is on my list as my next Gladwell read and I'm currently reading Lost Connections by Johann Hari (and loving it).
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Do you read a lot of non-fiction? If so, please share your recommendations with me?
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"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." – Malcolm Gladwell.
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In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell found that practice does make perfect. Through a unique set of circumstances and extraordinary opportunities, Mozart, Bill Gates, and The Beatles had extra time to practise and hone their skills, which allowed them to become a musical prodigy, an innovative visionary, and the most influential band of all time, respectively.
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“Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinat “Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinatra
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Have you read any of these? What’s your favourite orange book?
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I love all of these - an orange book for every mood.
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How much preparation is needed to achieve success? How much preparation is needed to achieve success? 
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“Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” - Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers: The Story of Success 
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Read my full review of #malcolmgladwelloutliers on the blog. Link in bio.

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BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO) Outliers: The Story of S BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO)
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
📈 📈 📈
In Outliers, Gladwell examines our understanding of success by looking at a successful person’s circumstances. From discovering that most all-star hockey players in Canada are born in January to finding out why successful lawyers in New York in the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s were almost all Jewish, Gladwell shows how when we are born influences our chances of achieving success.
📈 📈 📈 
Your place of birth is just as important as the decade in which you are born. Gladwell looks at why Korean Air had a track record of plane crashes in the 1990s, and what role cultural legacy had to play. Of course, when and where you are born, and the language you speak is not the only indicator of success. Gladwell explains that not every hockey player born in January ends up playing at a professional level. “Achievement is talent plus preparation,” Gladwell writes. But exactly how much preparation is needed? “Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours,” Gladwell explains. 
📈 📈 📈
In Outliers, Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman). Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. The factor we do have control over, however, is how hard we work. None of the outliers achieved success without putting in at least ten thousand hours.
📈 📈 📈
If you've read my blog, you'll know that I think #malcolmgladwellisagenius 
Dominic Maxwell explains it best: "The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius." So, if you want to learn something new (and feel really smart🤓) read a Malcolm Gladwell book. 

Outliers gets 🦋🦋🦋🦋/5 from me.

Blink is next on my list.
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman) – there are many factors that influence our chances of success. Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. Read the latest book review on the blog (link in bio) to learn why successful people are products of particular places and environments.

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