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Rating: 
Summary: Meh... (Revised)
Review: For anyone who regularly watches The Simpsons, this word/sound means something, for everyone else, I'll explain; Homer, (not Marge, sorry) after seeing a commercial for Blockoland (Legoland) asks the kids enthusiastically "How would you kids like to go to... BLOCKOLAND!?" to which they respond, "Meh..." confused, Homer says, "Come on you guys..." Lisa offers, "We said 'meh'... M-E-H... Meh." That pretty much describes how I felt about this collection of short "masterpieces". You may enjoy this if you are the kind of person that considers reading a book you've been reading for eight months while you wait for your dentist "quality reading time". This isn't even a good example of Vonnegut's style. Archaic and clumsy, also a much more sci-fi, fantasy-like Vonnegut, that may be well and good for some of you but for me, the more I can relate to a story or the author, the better. I choked down Huxley's Brave New World which, to me, was astonishingly like Orwell's 1984, but thats neither here nor there. My point is, if you want sci-fi, read Harlan Ellison that should satisfy your nerdy urges. If you want quality Vonnegut, pick up Jailbird or my personal favorite, Breakfast Of Champions. Vonnegut at his best. Due to Mr. Vonnegut's recent support of the skateboarding community, I will not completely slam this book and say nobody should read it, to the contrary, if you are under the age of thirteen or "An avid Kurt Vonnegut reader", by all means, read this book. It will probably "leave you thinking" for weeks. However, if you enjoy quality literature, steer clear of this one. Boring, inarticulate, and about as interesting as a runny nose, I'm afraid to put it on the bookshelf for fear of coming home to shreds of Monkey House everywhere, bullied into submission and euthanized by my other books. So that's my opinion, "Meh..."
Rating: 
Summary: Range of Stories from Sci Fi to Intimate Family Drama
Review: From the wonderous humanity of EPICAC, the computer who loved a girl, to the simply yet imaginatively told story of "Thomas Edison's Shaggy Dog", to the black American soldier's relationship with a certain displaced person ("D.P.") to the title story's grim view of the future population (see also "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", the last story in the collection), Vonnegut surprises with his humor, and then delivers a knockout punch with his pathos. *SPOILER* The story about the boy who cannot tell his parents that he didn't get in the School, and "The Kid Noone Could Handle" *END* Is the "fifty-year man" the real "Deer in the Woods"? One of my favorite stories has always been "More Stately Mansions" about the woman who yearns for a more perfect abode as collected and clipped from many home decorating magazines. The realism of his stories is kind of spooky sometimes. His prose writing is amazing--a master of the quick turn of phrase, the one-sentence description that reads like a book, the presence behind the prose somehow is able to make complex, profound ideas more simple, and vice versa. I first read this volume in 1974 on airplanes and while traveling to Africa at the age of 12. Some of it escaped me then, but by now I think I get it. And I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: Years later, this book is still affecting people
Review: I just read this book last year, as a tenth grader. It might sound as though I'm exaggerating if I say it changed my life, but I believe that almost everything you read changes you in a small way. Well, this book changed me in a big way. I'll still be thinking about these stories months after I read them. They're the kind of stories that make you want to close your eyes and think for an hour after you're done reading them. This book was my introduction to Kurt Vonnegut, and it remains my favorite.
I also think its amazing how a book read by somebody 30 years ago can still have the same effect on a young person today, and I hope that 30 years from now, this book will still change people.
Rating:
Summary: !!! GREAT !!!
Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! When I picked it up I thought that it was not going to be as good as Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-five", but it deffinately was. Vonnegut has once again proved himself to be a magnificent author in this collection of short stories. In this book, there were a few parts that I beleive may have been adapted from the past. If this is the case, Vonnegut has deffinately done a good job reproducing them, as well as make up brilliant tales of his own. This is one of those books that you'll read once and contemplate for a while. Then you'll find it lying around a month or two later and pick up a totally new perspective on its initial meaning. This is book that MUST be read, no questions asked. :-D
Rating:
Summary: Way back in Highschool..when I walked there uphill both ways
Review: I read this book when I was in the 11th grade. It was my introduction in to Vonnegut. Of course this was way back in the 70's. If you read this now and you remind yourself how many years ago he wrote these short stories you will find Kurt had an amazing take on science fiction and fiction back then. That alone makes this book stand the test of time.
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut in the bitefull
Review: I was once told that the true writer can write short fiction as well as lengthier works. If that is true then Vonnegut is a true master. "Welcome to the Monkey House" is a true masterpiece. The short stroies are a study of our society. The story that is the name of the book shows how a society can go wrong with the idea of doing good. The hero is a rapist who lives in a society that actually encourages suicide. The women who work at these suicide centers have sex with their clients before they die, but the women cannot feel anything below their waist so they cannot enjoy sex due to "medicine" they take. The "hero" lets the drug wear off then rapes the women so they can feel for the first time sexual pleasure. The study is the rapes of women by one man as compared to the societal rape by making women not be able to feel pleasure. Tough stuff. The story ends with the explanation of how the idea of anesthetizing the pleasurable feel of sex started, which is the name of the story.
Harrison Bergeron is every bit as scary because it is what happens when the law makes everybody equal. There is always someone that has to run the show and they can't be equal. "All of the Kings Men" is about a game of chess where captured soldiers are the actual pieces and their leader has to make tough choices.
Not all of the stories are so depressing. "Who will I be Tommorrow" is about a couple who fall in love by never being themselves. It is fun and light although it does explore the deeper meaning of relationships.
"Welcome to the Monkey House" is a masterpiece and should not be missed. It is a thinking man's book, but at the same time so well written that is it is truly enjoyable as it is on it's own. Highly reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: Vonnegut Pulls Through Again with Monkey House
Review: Kurt Vonnegut has a very unique writing style. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not your regular book. This is a collection of short stories. All of them are classic Vonnegut. They include humor, and off the wall plots. A lot of the stories remind me of Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury).
Some of the stories are set in the future, others in the past. They are all captivating and encourage imagination. A lot of Vonnegut stories have a lesson to them if you look hard enough. This book's short stories definitely show some of the lessons he tries to teach. If you have never read a Vonnegut book this would be a great one to start with. Because the stories are not very long, if you lose interest you can easily move on a different story. The actual story, "Welcome to the Monkey House" is great. Vonnegut shows us how warped our world could be. Many of the stories are like that. Vonnegut continues to show us new possibilities in the realm we live in. None of his stories are so outlandish that they could never happen. He always includes enough reality to never make it impossible. What he does include makes us take a look at what we really want to allow the government to control and what could happen. Only Kurt Vonnegut could make a story that is about "ethical suicide." I loved it!!!! You will love this book, it is wild, it is crazy, and it is totally VONNEGUT.
Rating: 
Summary: early vonnegut short stories
Review: Myself, I've never read any Vonnegut in the past. As a matter of fact, I have not read many books at all before. This collection of short stories is just perfect for someone like me. The stories vary from about five pages to twenty pages apiece, making them easy for anyone to ascertain in a short amount of time. After getting about half-way through the book I decided to go out and purchase SLAUGHTER-HOUSE-FIVE, SIREN OF THE TITANS, and GODBLESS YOU DR.KEVORKIAN. That is what is so beautiful about this book, the fact that someone who never reads, can easily peruse a story or two with out missing a beat. Kurt will capture your attention in every tale.
Vonnegut came way before my time, but now I see what all the recognition was about. His ideas on government and modern society were way ahead of his time. His notions of peace, shifty politicians, and clandestine activities are what make him an excellent addition to any radical library. He writes science fiction, with a dash of harsh reality. These ideals, of an overpopulated world in which every aspect of our lives are governed, are presented with extraordinary detail in Vonnegut`s writing. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Harrison Bergeron, and Welcome to the Monkey House (The story) are lurid representations of the way the future could be. This book has it all romance, tragedy, and triumph. Every story is not just science fiction, as you may imagine. Most of the stories are set in the past and have no portrayals of an automated society or a talking dog that helped to invent electricity. In fact, one of my favorite stories, The Foster Portfolio, is one that contains no special effects at all. Like many of Vonnegut's other stories, The Foster Portfolio just deals with simple human characteristics like pride, ambition, and happiness. The presentation that Kurt puts into his characters is marvelous. When you get done reading one of his stories you'll feel as though you know the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Intro to Vonnegut!
Review: This was the first book I ever read by Vonnegut, and it was good enough to spur me on to furthur reading. This is a collection of some of his shorter stories, and I think it gives the reader a fairly good idea of his writing style.
I think whoever compiled these stories chose a bad one to start off with. Where I Live, while well written and very descriptive, was very boring. I was ready to stop reading after this one. I slogged through to the next, and discovered I had read Harrison Bergeron in high school. This is a great story about PC-ness gone crazy. So then I was drawn into this book and the wonderful stories that followed.
Although I could go one by one and review each story, I really think that would amount to an extremely long review. Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed almost every stroy in this book. Vonnegut's writings are descriptive and vast, and his obviously unique and odd viewpoints make for extremely interesting and thought-provoking reading. This man was very much ahead of the times when these stories were written.
The stories are very unique in and of themselves also. Just when you think you have Vonnegut pegged, he throws you a curve and a totally different type of storyline, and you wonder what in the world goes on in this guy's mind. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Vonnegut, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.
Rating:
Summary: What? I can only have five stars? You're kidding, right?
Review: Well, most of the 54 previous reviewers raved about this collection of stories, but I did see one reviewer who felt the story, Monkey House, seems to encourage a certain illegal behavior. I agree with that observation, and while I was reading the story I was certain people today would notice that point: Maybe in 1968 (the publication date), people didn't notice? Some of the stories seemed like "starter" stories, something a "wannabe" writer might write. But some really do make you think. What if you were forced to be "equal" to everyone else (Harrison Bergeron)? What if an anti-aging concoction was discovered and the population explosion covered the earth with people of all ages (Tomorrow etc.)? These kinds of questions are certainly relevant today, and that may be one measure of their worth: longevity. I could not read this book like a novel, with growing interest as the plot unfolds. For me, it was the type of book one would have to put aside from time to time, to kind of "digest" the contents, before reading more. That could be another measure of literary worth: it doesn't go down like cotton candy but kind of "stays with you," the way a good meal should. Diximus.
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