{"product_id":"breaking-down-vonnegut-9781119746096","title":"Breaking Down Vonnegut","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA practical guide to Kurt Vonnegut's works for middle and secondary students\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong the most significant and prolific post-war American writers, Kurt Vonnegut's career spanned well more than fifty years including some of the nation's most troubling times. Vonnegut's world composes a complex web exploring themes of historical events and human limitations, all the while establishing his work as among the unique gems of American literature. \u003ci\u003eBreaking Down Vonnegut\u003c\/i\u003e seeks to clarify and contextualize some essential facts about Kurt Vonnegut's life, addressing humanity's most essential questions through the themes underlying his imaginary worlds and innovative plot structures. Those themes, most often first appearing in his anthropological or autobiographical introductions, often reappear cloaked in science fiction, historical parallels, and social science conundrums that address the major questions of life: the values by which we choose to live.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBreaking Down Vonnegut\u003c\/i\u003e features an overview of Vonnegut's life and an investigation of his midwestern values that were challenged by his legendary wartime imprisonment. Author Marc Leeds shared a friendship with Kurt Vonnegut for nearly 20 years and is broadly respected for his expertise concerning Vonnegut's published work. Vonnegut thought so highly of Leeds's work that he appears as himself in Vonnegut's final novel, Timequake. Leeds is one of five living people invited to the Timequake clambake, Vonnegut's excuse for a reunion with his fictional alter ego, Kilgore Trout.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBreaking Down Vonnegut: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eShowcases the multiple genres in Vonnegut's world\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eProvides a brief thematic tour through Vonnegut's short fiction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eContains an exposition of the underlying structure that repeats in every Vonnegut novel\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOffers a brief overview of Vonnegut's critics\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExplains why Kurt Vonnegut will remain one of the great American voices heard around the world\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis book is a primer for younger or simply new Vonnegut readers and a welcome addition to the toolbox used by educators, parents, and anyone interested in or studying Vonnegut's life and work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Jossey-Bass\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/02\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781119746096\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128","brand":"Julia A. Whitehead","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41500337373365,"sku":"9781119746096","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_c2dc55f2-1817-4d73-bde4-e6ee31ca0915.jpg?v=1641275825","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/breaking-down-vonnegut-9781119746096","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}