Rating: 
Summary: bite-sized chunks
Review: If you don't already know Kurt Vonnegut's work, this may be the best introduction to it -- especially considering that short stories are the art form that Vonnegut started out with, where he developed his craft.And if you already know Vonnegut but don't know this book, then think of this as the author in delicious bit-sized chunks. But read the book! I would not say that Welcome to the Monkey House is Vonnegut's best book -- in fact, it may not even be in the top five by my calculations -- but it is the one book of his I would keep if I had to give all the other away, simply because of the diversity of the stories he tells and the simple writing skill they illustrate. And I might argue that the best single STORY Vonnegut ever wrote is "Harrison Bergeron" the riveting and still-relevant tale about human nature that effects me as much today as it did when I first read it 20 years ago. Vonnegut without a doubt proves with this story that all writers are not created equal.
Rating:
Summary: vonnegut's best
Review: even if you don't buy buy this collection of vonnegut's short stories (which you should) at least read "harrison bergeron". that story changes you.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Fascinating, Thought Provoking. A Winner!
Review: ~ * * * * ~
~I'd love to give this book 6 ****** Stars!
This book made such an impression on me as an adolescent, and as an adult, I still love it. The short stories are very different, they are unique in that many show a more optimistic and hopeful Kurt Vonnegut than we see in any of his other books.
These stories were written at various times for publication in different magazines. The title story "Welcome to the Monkey House" is no less thought provoking 30 years later! My favorite story "D.P" for "displaced person"- about a little black orphan in an all white post-war 'German" orphanage - was heartbreakingly sweet.
Although he disparages the story, "Long walk to Forever" shows a caring and hopeful side of the author he rarely reveals.
All the stories are absorbing, and deceptively easy to read. This book was one I'll never give away, I need to reread the stories too often!
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: I've read all but one or two Vonnegut books, and I think this short story collection is a good representation of his style and typical plots, if you're looking to try Vonnegut out. If you've already read Vonnegut before and liked him, you'll probably love this one too.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Monkey House
Review: One of the greatest books of KV. Really.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so sci-fi, and the title story glorifies rape
Review: It's interesting that most of the reviewers who give this anthology a high rating appear to be male, because only men (or adolescent boys) could fail to realize that the title story is, appallingly, about rape as a "good" thing. Vonnegut's premise in the "Monkey House" story is that in some future over-populated society, all sexuality will be suppressed by chemical means, and euthanasia will be encouraged in "Ethical Suicide Parlor" franchises. A renegade named Billy the Poet has been kidnapping the beautiful female operators of the suicide parlors, forcing them off their sex-suppression pills, and "deflowering" them in the name of freedom. What Billy actually does is rape these women, telling them that they should be grateful and that he only has their happiness in mind when he does this! That Vonnegut should present a rapist as a hero, someone who's trying to liberate the world from a sexually oppressive government/society, is simply ghastly and offensive! Billy's explanation that in Victorian times all women were in effect raped by their husbands on their wedding night is both historically inaccurate and just plain stupid. It's some kind of sick, sadistic male fantasy that a virgin will suddenly start to like sex when her only sexual experience has been a violent violation by a stranger! (Small wonder that the story was originally published in "Playboy" magazine!) Maybe if Billy had wooed the women and made them want to have sex with him (granted, he'd still have to kidnap them to keep them off their sex-suppression pills), Vonnegut could make the case for Billy as some sort of hedonistic, freedom-loving hero. It's a shame, because early on in the story there are flashes of humor and satiric barbs at American society; Vonnegut ruins it all in the truly repellent ending to his tale. As for the other stories: the science fiction ones are rather crudely written, somewhat jerky and forced, and often dated, although the story of "EPICAC" the computer is cute. Vonnegut does better in the real world: "The Kid Nobody Could Handle," "All the King's Horses" (admittedly a tad fantastical), and "Who Am I this Time?" are poignant and interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: I enjoyed the stories...
Review: I don't favor short stories, but this collection sounded like something I might get into. Well, I did enjoy the stories. My favorite would have to be "Unready To Wear". The thought of being able to leave your body and enter dead bodies to use whenever the need arose (say, if you might want to be in a parade), sounds like a pretty good way to extend your life some. Also, I've discovered that since I began the book, I've been thinking in a more abstract way. This is a good thing. A freeing feeling. Kurt Vonnegut wrote in a way that makes you think of possibilities. I appreciate that.
Rating:
Summary: As essential as the novels
Review: I'm not a huge fan of short story collections since I'd much rather sit through a single story throughout all those pages instead of a series of tales that at best tend to be hit or miss and wildly inconsistent. However there are some writers that I will acknowledge are masters of the form, Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury and of course Kurt Vonnegut (that's not even counting the "classic" short story masters who I haven't read) who's novels sometimes come across as longish short stories anyway. Most of these stories were written early in his career, in the fifties or sixties and it looks like someone actually made an attempt to sequence them instead of just dumping them in chronoloogical order, thus there's a bit of a procession as you move along, finally ending with the darkly hopeful 'Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow". Along the way you'll find that the quality is quite high and many of these are very much vintage Vonnegut. He mixes around with genres and so SF exercises such as "Harrison Bergeron" and "Welcome to the Monkey House" (classics both) sit comfortably next to more typical stories such as "Manned Missiles" (which gets my vote for most effective story in the collection and surprised me the most). There aren't really any clunkers here, some are simpler than others and will pass you by without much impact, but the majority all have some moment or theme to recommend them as keepers and give you something to think about long after you've finished them. Sure, most of the stories were written in a different time but regardless of the SF or the Cold War backdrop or whatever, these are essentially timeless and deserved to be read again and again.
Rating:
Summary: oh vonnegut
Review: In the preface of Welcome to the Monkey House, Vonnegut writes, "I am self-taught. I have no theories about writing that might help others. When I write I simply become what I seemingly must become." In his collection of short stories, Vonnegut becomes many things; from a sales man, to a soldier to a sexually oppressed women. This collection holds diverse types of stories, all original, and all charming in their own way. This is not a short story collection that repeats itself. Each one opens a door to a different subject matter. The stories are glued together with Vonnegut's humor and whit. I truly felt that each story was fantastic. I know someone who cried after reading the story D.P. After reading Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog, I haven't been able to look at dogs the same way. And the selection Welcome to the Monkey House is guaranteed to give you butterflies in your stomach. Vonnegut holds on to your attention and doesn't give it back until you have finished all 25 stories. This book displays the extensive imagination that Vonnegut encompasses. Once again Vonnegut brings to light things that we never could imagine, and puts it on paper.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Vonnegut!!
Review: Have read much Vonnegut and this is by far my favorite! Book consists of several short stories. Although unrelated they are all very entertaining and even more thought provoking. I would reccommend it to anyone interested in Vonnegut. Helped me a lot when I had to right reports on other Vonnegut works, gave a good basis to compare and contrast.
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