In the book “Cats Cradle”, Kurt Vonnegut uses discreet humor, irony and his own made up religion, Bokononism to illustrate how science is both helpful and harming. His writing can be confusing to young readers considering his complex references. I ended the book with the realization that a crazy idea formed by a capable and credited person can have the power to demolish the aspects of life as we look at it.

The narrorator of the book, John is in the process of writing a book titled, The Day the World Ended. This book is about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and in order to write it, John needs to do research on Felix Hoenikker who was one of the scientist involved with the atomic bomb. This book really made realize how though science is extremely helpful, credible, and has advanced society in many ways it also has been used to its advantage to cause the worst days in history. The narrator's perspective is what reveals the cruelty that has been done through the knowledge of science. This book would be favored by those who enjoy the different directions that science can go along with authentic humor and strong writing by remarkable Kurt Vonnegut.11 s Mason Wampler3

The book starts with John the main character researching about what Americans where doing when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. While researching this topic, John becomes involved with the children of Felix Hoenikker.John travels to Ilium, New York, to interview the Hoenikker children and others for his book. In Ilium John meets, among others, Dr. Asa Breed, who was the supervisor "on paper" of Felix Hoenikker. As the novel continues , John learns of a substance called ice-nine, created by the late Hoenikker and is now secretly in the possession of his children. Ice-nine is an alternative structure of water that is solid at room temperature. When a crystal of ice-nine contacts liquid water, it becomes a seed crystal that makes the molecules of liquid water arrange themselves into the solid form, ice-nine. John and the Hoenikker children eventually end up on the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, one of the poorest countries on Earth. The dictator thratens oppostion with impalemnt on a giant hook . John explore the island and discovers a cryptic society. To find out what john finds on the island you have to read the book.

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable, although I thought the book was confusing and hard to read. I would recommend this book to fans of Kurt Vonnegut. This is a difficult book to read and hard to understand and the book also uses many made-up words. 7 s Madelaine Cargill22 2

Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author, and this book is probably the reason behind that. I share many of the same world views as Vonnegut, and his satirical writing style is one I try to imitate. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut brings to light world issues such as religion, science, and politics and ties them into an apocalyptic theme. This idea of an apocalypse, in what form it will happen, and how humans will react to it, is one of my favorite things to read and write about. I feel that Vonnegut does a spectacular job of turning it into something humans bring upon themselves by taking science too far, and how they either turn to religion as a reason to accept death, or allow their survival instincts to take over. By making this book a dark comedy, Vonnegut makes his ideas more potent.6 s Jim1,220 75

What more can I say? It's great Vonnegut. I've read it and reread it and will reread it again.4 s Vera-Michele565 60

2/5 Stars

I both know and don't know what I just read. 2 s Paige183 5

As usual, Vonnegut has provided a thought-provoking commentary on humanity and a possible avenue of its future. I found his use of religion and discussion of very interesting and thought-provoking in my own life. It caused me to really reflect on why I believe what I do and how that affects my way of life. I think this book is also skilled in addressing and identifying ways that religion functions in society, for better or for worse. I love the way Vonnegut writes: a fictitious story in which one could easily gloss over main points and big ideas if you're not paying attention. It keeps me engage in Vonnegut's side thoughts and ensures that I'm thinking critically throughout the book. Another great read.2 s John Brokaw4

Good read. Lots of twists and turns at the end that I wasn't expecting, considering the first 2/3 of the book. I d how chaotic and esoteric it was and the way everything amanged to tie itself together. Pretty easy to read as well. Took forever to finish it thanks to all the other stuff I had going on with covid and the lack of mental strength to get myself to just sit down and read. 1 Blake Kilmer6

If Kurt Vonnegut sincerely started a religion I would worship to it.

1 Sam1 review1 follower

Cat’s Cradle is a 1963 novella written by acclaimed satirist and author Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut, a veteran of the Second World War and researcher at General Electric, drew upon the experiences of horror, monotony, and hope to write many of his works. Cat’s Cradle is what he considered to be his masterpiece: a humorous, nihilistic, and depressing statement about the world and its values during the Cold War. The novella highlights the issues surrounding organized religion and the nuclear Arms Race. In typical Vonnegut style, the book opens with the narrator telling the speaker to call him a certain way, an obvious poke at Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. “Jonah” states that his story begins with writing a book about what various American families were doing at the time the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Quickly, the tone of a lighthearted jab at a famous author shifts to the destruction of an entire city and the start of an era of fear. Throughout the book, Vonnegut continues to tell the story in the same way, in order to associate death and destruction with humor. Jonah’s investigations lead him to Dr. Hoenikker, a Manhattan Project scientist and father of several gifted children. By talking with his daughter, Jonah discovers Hoenikker had been working on a substance that would freeze liquid to allow troops to move across mud much more easily. The way this information is delivered greatly understates the destructive capabilities. Vonnegut introduces the substance “Ice Nine” as an analogy to the era’s ever-present threat of nuclear warfare. Jonah travels to the tiny island of San Lorenzo in the Caribbean, where he heard that one of Hoenikker’s sons is about to become leader of the island. San Lorenzo is also home of Bokononism, a strange religion adhering to the tenants of lies and apathy that is outlawed by the island’s military junta. Bokononism is perhaps Cat’s Cradle’s best comment on society. The central points lie in pretending there is a deeper meaning to life to achieve a deeper meaning to life, a vicious critique on organized religion as a whole. Because it is outlawed, the religion is highlighted as a kind of “apple of Eden” for the poor and ignorant island residents to take in order to achieve happiness. In short, the visit to San Lorenzo ends in disaster. Ice-nine is released into the world’s oceans and life ends quietly with a God indifferent to humanity's extinction. A funny, bleak, but ultimately moral tale about human flaws, Cat's Cradle is easily one of my favorite books.

4.5/51 MarkAuthor 14 books24

I don not usually LIKE books of criticism, books by critics, or the nature of criticism in general. Sometimes the search for meaning in books this is inflated by bogus intellectual constructions which have little bearing on the author's meaning. But, of course, all books are different, and this one was actually enjoyable, although there are many instances of the same passages (from Vonnegut) repeated through and through in different essays appearing here.
I was "turned on" by Vonnegut in 1969, when I grabbed a copy of Cat's Cradle off the shelf behind my English teacher's desk (thanks, Ms. Nelson!)- her personal reading shelf and "borrowed" it for a week. I was blown away in the first instance to finally have found the source for the name of the Grateful Dead's publishing company, "Ice-Nine Music". Ice-nine being Vonnegut's "end of the world" invention/toy- or rather that of Dr. Felix Hoenneker, one of the prime characters of the novel. I had heard a lot about KV being a "science fiction" writer, but this turned out to be a very different type of science fiction! Minimalist, satirical & humoristic. I ended up using Vonnegut's technique (or rather my own variation on it), for a number of shorts I wrote between 14 and 17, none of which survive. However, much of the approach has stuck with me, and Cat's Cradle is I think still Vonnegut's best, next to Slaughterhouse Five.
This book is good not only for some of the insights (again, many do get repeated!) into the plots and ideas central to Vonnegut's ouerve, but just as straight story-boards of them as well. Some of those books I read so long ago I had forgotten the primary lines of their plots! So it ends up being more or less a book ABOUT all of Vonnegut's books, at least, those up until this publication, and it does so in a way such as to inflame new interest, on my part, in going back and checking out what I might have missed in books Breakfast of Champions, Player Piano, etc.
all in all despite the repetitiousness in citing relevant passages this was a enjoyable way to spend a week or two, read mostly on short breaks before and after work.1 Vaibhhav10

One of Vonnegut's early and really brilliant works. I know that when reading it, one might think the author disillusioned, but the construct of using a made-up religion to lampoon the trivial nature of human things is genius. It could stand purely on its honesty and self-effacing humour in that regard.
You see the plot through the eyes of an author, and satire spins to black humour to sci-fi, to politics, and finally, raw, relentless humanity. black-humour recommended satire ...more1 Remi8 2

I was recently introduced to Kurt Vonnegut through a tv show I saw about him. Do you know that he survived a fire bombing in WWII and then had to find a way to write about the horrors of war in a way that would not hurt so much? He turned to science fiction. But this is not really science fiction. It is more about loneliness. 1 Judith FurediAuthor 4 books32

I remember it as enjoyable and different and part of my required reading. Vonnegut was a writer-in-residence at my college, for a while, and when I met him, he was totally not who I expected. This was one of the classics, though. I would need to re-read it. And so it goes...1 Aaron Kalafarski30

This was my first time reading a work of Vonnegut. The book leaned into the absurd. I enjoyed how stylized it was; I don't think I've read anything it. But just looking into a cat's cradle: 'No damn cat, and no damn cradle.Â’ -pg. 166

The sentences and chapters were short, but each was densely packed with information. However, finishing it left me with a feeling of emptiness: part of me wanted to laugh and another part wanted to immediately go onto a new book. I'm not sure what I got out of reading the book myself, but I do prefer to discuss works of art after finishing them so I definitely want to discuss it with someone in the future.

Overall I'd recommend this book to someone looking for something absurd and different to break up the monotony of the books they've been reading.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“As Bokonon says: ‘Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.’ “ -pg. 63
“ ‘Americans,’ he said, quoting his wife’s letter to the Times, ‘are forever searching for love in forms it never takes, in places it can never be. It must have something to do with the vanished frontier.’ “ -pg. 97
“Tiger got to hunt,
Bird got to fly,
Man got to sit and wonder, ‘Why, why, why?’
Tiger got to sleep,
Bird got to land,
Man got to tell himself he understand.” -pg. 182 Allison Lee61 1 follower

Disclaimer: not a fiction girlie; fiction just leaves me questioning plot points as “why?” and “am i supposed to read into this?”, whereas plot points in memoirs just …. I don’t question them as artistic choices bc such is life

Anyway, didnÂ’t know what to expect from this book, and I never what direction it was going. Thought it was fitting to read alongside the winter storm hitting the country; photos of houses in the northeast after the blizzard passed provided some fitting imagery to the end.
Also fitting to read in parallel with the Oppenheimer trailer coming out. I honestly started picturing Cillian Murphy as Dr Hoenikker.

Ngl wasn’t all too impressed with it. Maybe I’ve seen too many Twilight Zone episodes inspired by Vonnegut’s work, where reading the original book seems … less shocking? But it was interesting. Chapters left me thinking, “sure, why not?” But maybe that’s just fiction for ya

I also personally enjoyed the short chapters and (from my copy of the book) small pages and big font.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Jared Bosecke18

I read slaughterhouse 5 many years ago and although I often get it confused with the other books I was reading at the time I remember it being a worthwhile read.

Having this book come into my possession when I was sick was the best thing that could've happened to it and incidentally myself. I really enjoyed the short chapters (if you can really call them that) for someone me with a limited attention span to things I struggle to stay on task with some books. That was not the case for this book. I blazed through it in a few sittings.

I also appreciated the authors liberal spattering of gibberish throughout the book initially it seems a crutch in order to convey some of the information but as the book reaches it's climax all the pieces begin to come together.

I've since read Breakfast of Champions which I also enjoyed but not as much as this one. I plan to read more Vonnegut in the future. Olivia17 30

"Charmingly real"

When I first read CatÂ’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut I loved it for its stream of conscious style, fluid prose, and witty references. I always d books that were referential. This one was not an exception.
Looking back, I can appreciate more than just the non sequitur, diving nature of the prose. Page by page I started to see what the writer was up to as he cast a spell. I realized that I enjoyed the writing not only because I d the storytelling, but because I was noticing each moment and more importantly perhaps each movement of the characterÂ’s working memory, family and educational life, inner world. I was falling into step with a pattern of being that would never, couldnÂ’t possibly, be replicated in my own life or otherwise. I knew that I loved the fictional story. But what I loved more? It was so charmingly realistic. Andjelka Marjanovi?3

Ovo je druga Vonegatova knjiga koju sam pro?itala. Prva me je "oduvala" (Klanica 5 ili De?iji krstaški rat) , a druga zamalo. Snažna i upe?atljiva, ali slabije ja?ine jer sam ve? upoznata sa specifi?nim stilom pisanja i ve? mogu izdvojiti motive ,ve? mi je poznat piš?ev pogled na život i svet . Usamljenost, otu?enost, besmisao života i instinkt za preživljavanje, sve to u novoj sredini, u druga?ijim okolnostima , na kraju sveta.

" I setio sam se Bokononove ?etrnaeste knjige, koju sam u potpunosti pro?itao prethodne no?i. ?etrnaeste knjiga nosi naslov : ?emu može da se nada za ljudski rod na Zemlji razuman ?ovek, imaju?i u vidu iskustvo proteklih milion godina?
Ne traje dugo dok se pro?ita ?etrnaesta knjiga. Ona se sastoji od jedne re?i i od ta?ke.
Evo je :
"Ni?emu." Westley Forsythe1 review

Franky, I fail to see what all the fuss is about. Not bad, not earth shatteringly good either. A bit pedestrian; however, lots of idiosyncratic characters, who reveal the many flaws of human character, to keep you engaged just enough to persist.

The parallels between Bokononism and evangelicals' imagined persecution reveals the enduring nature of of some of the persistent delusions in American society.

The American ambassador's speech about the 100 martyrs to democracy is easily the book's highlight. Ashutosh33

This book is supposed to be a landmark in black humour and satire. Black it is.. but not sure about the humour or the satire.. Maybe these kind of books are not for me but this was too doomsday-ish for me. Margaux Miller50 5

honestly didn't love this one even though its considered one of his most prolific works. basically about this fake religion on this fake island idk ive read it twice and both times I was middd Paul16

Great to read an original story, with heavy sarcasm, entertaining characters by a super wordsmith. Chapter 4 is entitled 'A tentative tangling of tendrils'.

Lots of enjoyable anecdotes throughout an overall good, short and easy read. Freddy62

“Sometimes I wonder if he wasn't born dead. I never met a man who was less interested in the living. Sometimes I think that's the trouble with the world: too many people in high places who are stone-cold dead.”

“People have to talk about something just to keep their voice boxes in working order, so they’ll have good voice boxes in case there’s ever anything really meaningful to say.” Colby197

Interesting take on roles of religion and science and potential for impacting earth. Satire throughout, as told via lens of imaginary island, scientific discovery, and religion. Or is it? Arsene56 3

My first Vonnegut book. Oh the pleasure of discovering him was unbearable. They don't wrote them. this anymore. Sara-Jayne2

I truly enjoyed this book, and the twists in plot and theme. I am looking forward to reading more from this author. Brooke38

A fun read Stefani Grujic6 1 follower

What an interesting and fun trip! A great reflection of the absurdity of government and religion and innate human desires. I loved it. Rosa389

A well written book. Enjoyed reading it. juliane67

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