This was amazing. The scope and the content were sublime in their conception and I was thoroughly entertained, educated, and satisfied. I cannot find fault with this book. This came at such a time where Vonnegut was reflecting on the nature of his life, his work, and the planet. Overall, a necessary read for fans of Vonnegut. I suggest reading his fictional works, many, before diving into this one as it adds more perspective and meaning to the overall whole. Nonetheless, a thrilling and mesmerizing read. ( )

Vonnegut never fails for me. I found this book both witty and a bit tragic, like most his books, and incredibly refreshing.

My favorite American author, by far. ( )

A fairly innocuous set of essays, some pushing his liberal agenda (and I'm not saying that in a bad way), some about his war experiences and most very autobiographical in nature. I appreciated that he stated his debt to Mr. Twain. It's something that I've noted more than once. Overall, a nice diversion and a fast read. ( )

Like the best sci-fi writers Vonnegut manages to write a series of essays and speeches in the late 80s that still resonate today. His thoughts on guns, racism, and neo-Conservatism are as relevant in the 21st Century as they were back in 1990. ( )

Most writers shun bringing their family members, wife and children, into the picture. Not Kurt Vonnegut. In Fates worse than death. An autobiographical collage there are several references to his wife and children and their wonderful achievements. Or pride themselves on knowing celebrities.

As in the preface: The adjacent photograph by Jill Krementz (my wife) shows me with the great German writer Heinrich Böll (like me and Norman Mailer and James Jones and Gore Vidal a former Private in the Infantry). Referring to himself three times in one sentence.

Fates worse than death seems a somewhat lazy memoir. Especially the opening chapters are very conversational. The humour does not ring true. Chapters are connected by picking up the thread, focusing on a snippet of information mentioned in the previous chapter.

Having read little by this author, Kurt Vonnegut seems a one-theme author. The photo facing, preceding, the preface refers to the Second Word War, as does the last photo, on the last page of the book, showing the author roaming the German countryside, just after the war. The whole book is mainly about the author's war experience.

There are various asides from the main theme, referring to himself and the world at large in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Actually, after the first 80 pages or so, the tone of the book becomes a little bit more serious, and more interesting, although the aura of self-aggrandizing remains. ( )