Cat's Cradle

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Summary: Cat's Cradle
Review: The novel Cat's Cradle by the author Kurt Vonnegut shows how a society can maintain itself around the contradiction of science and religion. The novel reflects around such examples as the infamous ice- nine and the profound religion of Bokonism developed by a most impressive man, Bokonon himself. The novel mainly revolves around the concept of the crystals known as ice- nine. This is said to be a compound of water whose molecular structure has been altered into another form which makes it solid at room temperature and have a melting point of one- hundred and fourteen degrees Fahrenheit. It also is known to instantaneously freeze anything that it comes in contact with, which eventually destroys the world. Ironically this substance happened to be created by the maker of the atomic bomb. An interesting book indeed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the concept of science versus religion and also to anyone who is intrigued by science itself. I found the book to be quite an enjoying and extremely fascinating book to pick up, and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in trying out one of Vonnegut's "different" books.

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Summary: Another great read by Vonnegut
Review: Kurt Vonnegut is a well-known excellent writer. He wrote several great books that incorporate human life and emotions. One of his best works was A Cat's Cradle. This book talked about the contradiction between illusion and reality and how people valued it in their societies. It also showed the topic of science vs. religion in modern society. Vonnegut's creative style of writing made this book an interesting read. All of these reasons make A Cat's Cradle an excellent book to read and a beginning for the understanding of the world portrayed in Vonnegut's many writings. The plot of A Cat's Cradle involves humanity and the contradictions that exist in modern society. Vonnegut focuses on the theme of illusion and reality in this book which were also explored in his previous novels, Mother Night. He came to the conclusion that illusion becomes reality in people's lives. A gloomy world is depicted in this novel to show the reality of life. This book is basically about one man who wants to write a book about World War two. It leads to his investigation between the topics of science and religion. The science part of this novel discusses an atomic bomb and a fanciful "ice nine" poison. The religion part of this novel discusses the widely followed religion of Bokonism that said that God is "utterly indifferent." The topics this novel discussed were written very humorously. Every chapter had a joke at the end. It was an easy and very interesting read. The characters were exciting and easy to follow. A Cat's Cradle questioned topics of humanity and life in a very interesting and joyful way. Kurt Vonnegut's book A Cat's Cradle was an excellent read. Its theme was creative and questioned certain topics that really never discussed. Like all of Kurt Vonnegut's books the chapters are short and discuss short segments of the main character's life. After the reading the book, it makes the reader question their own life and humanity in general. The way the book is written keeps the reader consistently involved in the book. I truly enjoyed this book especially since I have read other books by Kurt Vonnegut. I hope you decide to read it and then read other selections by Kurt Vonnegut, an acclaimed and highly recommended author.

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Summary: Danger! You'll be come a devout Bokononist by reading this.
Review: Pardon the hyperbole. This is the best book ever written. Kurt Vonnegut traces the story of Lionel Boyd Johnson (recognize the initials), the story of a man washed ashore on a Caribbean island to find his match in the island's self appointed not-so-evil major domo. What's lacking on this island? According to the dictator's limited exposure to philosophy (Charles Atlas' theory of Dynamic Tension -- retrieved from the back of a childhood comic book), what's missing is a kind and gentle counterpart, a false religious leader who can divert the attention of island residents from the poverty surrounding them. He empowers Mr. Johonson, renamed Bokonon, who enchants island residents with his restated version of the creation, written in "calypsos", a lyrical guide to just how God manages to gets things done. If you've somehow managed to get this far through life without reading this book, buy it now. You'll become a devout Bokononist, finding yourself singing a calypso alone at night "Nice, nice, very nice, see how we all fit into the same device".

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Summary: This was a fantastic read
Review: A friend gave me a copy of this book and assured me that I'd love it. Frankly, I was a bit sceptical, because the premise just sounded weird to me, and I never expected to get around to reading it. However, one night I picked it up, and I didn't get to sleep until I had finished it. What a ride! I think this novel could be enjoyed by just about anyone, even if you think it's not to your "taste". Give it a try, I'm glad I did.

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Summary: A Deathly Funny Satire
Review: Cat's Cradle is the second Vonnegut novel I read, the first being Slaughterhouse-Five. I was highly impressed by both of them. He has become one of my favorite authors. Once again, I am amazed at Vonnegut's ability to treat deathly serious subjects so lightheartedly without trivializing them. I laughed out loud several times during the course of this book, and yet, it is no less profound than the overtly serious 1984. How can this be, you ask? The answer is that Vonnegut has discovered what Orwell, Huxley, and countless other brilliant "fair warning" writers failed to realize: humor is the one universal element. Many people disdain such so-called universal elements as love, religion, politics, and the like. However, NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE, is safe from the far-reaching potential of humor. Vonnegut uses it skillfully here. I won't go into plot details here, read the book for that. What I will say is that on the surface is an entertaining and fast-paced piece of black-humored satire, and between the lines is a highly relevant novel that has, and hopefully will continue to, displace the arrogance and folly of modern Man.

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Summary: Midgets and Hoosiers and Ice-Nine: Oh my!
Review: The theme of Cat's Cradle is simple: Never underestimate the stupidity of the human race. In Vonnegut's book, the destructive juggernaut we call idiocy ultimately leads to the destruction of the world. This is accomplished via ice-nine. Ice-nine is an isotope of water that is solid at room temperature. It is especially dangerous because one crystal could, if dropped into a large body of water, turn all of the water on earth into this undrinkable substance. What's worse is that if ice-nine somehow gets into the mouth of any animal, humans included, their body will solidify like a statue. This substance was created, coincidentally, by the same man who developed the atomic bomb. That man was Felix Hoenikker. One day while vacationing, Felix's three children found him dead. He had apparently put a crystal of ice-nine into his mouth and killed himself. His children then divided up the ice-nine and each carried their piece in a small thermos. Eventually the ice-nine was pawned for money, love, or power. One of Felix's children gave his piece up so he could get a powerful position on a Caribbean island. Another child gave his piece to a midget Russian dancer/spy. After a very interesting series of events, the world was destroyed by ice-nine. Stupidity is what created the substance, and stupidity is what destroyed the world. Vonnegut was obviously very much against the atomic bomb and other weapons designed to maim or kill other humans. So, don't be stupid: Read Cat's Cradle.

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Summary: See the cat? See the cradle? See the point?
Review: Having read many of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, both the sublime (MOTHER NIGHT) and the ridiculous (TIMEQUAKE), I felt I was prepared for CAT'S CRADLE. And, as usual for Vonnegut, all his usual elements are here: the purposefully simple prose, the distrust of established dogma, sex, religion, science, et al. But upon finishing CRADLE, I was awestruck at my unpreparedness for the true mobilizing force behind the plot. Rage.

CAT'S CRADLE is an angry book, full of loathing and despair for the construct we call humanity. Vonnegut has always been one of the world's best moralists, but CRADLE finds him almost unhinged to the point of mania. And yet, it is quite likely Vonnegut's greatest and most entertaining achievement.

The narrator, Jonah (or so he informs us), is an author bent on penning a novel which will encompass the day the hydrogen bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. His research leads him to the family of Dr. Felix Hoenikker, a scientist involved in the invention of the bomb. As he talks to the family, and other scientists, he becomes faintly aware of a fictional substance called 'ice-nine', which had befuddled Dr. Hoenikker for some time. In true Vonnegut fashion, this subplot is dropped until needed, as several years later Jonah meets up with the Hoenikker family in San Lorenzo, a tiny third world country with a bizarre origin and an unusual religion.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away. Unlike several of Vonnegut's more recent works, the plot does play a large part of the novel's progression. Suffice to say, the fictitious religion of Bokononism plays a large part in the story, as do insanity, death, power, Armageddon, clarinets, stone angels, and love. And it all proceeds logically, especially in the context of the teachings of Bokonon.

Like the best of Vonnegut, the deeper themes only come to the reader after they are replayed in the mind. Vonnegut's distrust of religion is evident as always, as Bokononism is based on the premise that all religions are lies, including Bokononism. But Vonnegut doesn't simply slam religion; Science, as the alternative, is equally a cause for distress, as power-mad generals demand new methods of destruction from their scientists, and the scientists don't consider the possibility that perhaps some problems should never be solved. Vonnegut finds no happiness in ignorance, but he finds none in knowledge, either.

Why, then, is CAT'S CRADLE such a funny book? Any other author might have well been crushed under the weight of manic depression. But not Vonnegut. He revels in man's insanity, in man's arrogance. Vonnegut cannot provide an answer; neither should he be expected to provide one. He realizes that by delivering a soliloquy on a method to save us, he would become that which he despises the most: a preacher. Vonnegut knows there are no easy answers. All he can do is provide examples of where our current behaviour will take us.

CAT'S CRADLE is simultaneously hysterical and horrifying, a morality tale that remains as relevant in the 21st century as the day Vonnegut published it. Anyone who believes they have the answer to mankind's problems should read it at once.

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Summary: How does Vonnegut do it
Review: I had heard so much about Vonnegut since my freshman year in High school. I know now that I will become a hard core fan of all his books. I'm an avid reader of all science fiction novels and this one is definitely one of my favorites. This book is by far a thrill ride of an apocolyptic adventure. There are also alot of great charcter introduced in the book and alot of funny scenes. This was my first experience with Vonnegut and I enjoyed every moment of it. When I first saw the cover of the book I thought that it would be interesting and it was. It was not so hard and it was not very easy either. I love the way he satires religon and science. Blending his patented wry humor with acute social insight presented in an absurd fantasy world, Vonnegut has written an exceptional novel of love lies and the self destruction of mankind. The story centers around the narrator, Jonah, who is called by name only once in the entire book. We are told in the begining of the book that he is writing a book on the events of the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan.His research leads him to a correspondence with Newt Hoenikker, the midget son of doctor Felix Hoenikker, father of the atomic bomb. After meeting with Newt, destiny leads our protagonist to the impoverished island republic of San Lorenzo, where among other adventures he finds religon, falls in love and becomes a president. All of this by itself would make for a very entertaining book, but it is not in the story line that Vonnegut's genius lies. Cat's Cradle is rife with painfully accurate insights into the institutions that our society holds so dear, such as, religion, politics, and science. Vonnegut invents for the inhabitants of San Lorenzo a brand new religion based completely and admittedly on "foma", or lies. This wouldn"t be so shocking, except for the fact that this "bokonism" seems to make perfect sense. Other Vonnegut ironies pervade the book and are too elaborate to go into. Cat's Cradle is one of the most absurd,and frightening novels. This book truly causes one to stop and think about the things that one holds as unquestionably true. All of these incredible people, places, things and ideas in Cat's cradle are intricately woven into a perfect tapestry that sums up and spells out many of mankind's self-created problems in 191 pages. I haven't read any of Kurt Vonnegut's other books but I know that I most certainly will. After checking this book out from the library I went and bought my own copy. I strongly recommed this book to anyone over the age of four-teen. There is no reason not to buy this masterpiece of modern literature. SO IF YOU READ IT WAS AND DIDM'T LIKE IT THAN READ IT AGAIN. IF YOU READ IT ONCE AND ENJOYED BUY IT AND READ IT AGAIN.

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Summary: Cat's Cradle
Review: Vonnegut is a zany writer...This BOOK rules!!!

Time mag. says "Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon Compoinded into one writer"...Its so true

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Summary: "No Cat, No Cradle!"
Review: If you've never read Kurt Vonnegut before, then you face a slight dilemma. You have two options available to you (well, really you've got more than two, but as long as you're reading this, I'm running the show and I say you've only got two):

1) You can read a slew of other Vonnegut books and build up to reading "Cat's Cradle," or

2) You can read "Cat's Cradle" and be so entirely blown away that no Vonnegut book will ever again live up to your newly inflated expectations.

That said, "Cat's Cradle" is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone over the age of birth. To summarize Vonnegut's crazy, whacked out plot would be an exercise in futility: it's got something to do with the father of the atomic bomb and his three bizarre children and the narrator who will chronicle their story as they get mixed up with the inhabitants of the island of San Lorenzo, all of whom are Bokononists. Confused yet? You should be. Throw in a little bit of ice-nine, a chemical that can feasibly bring about the end of the world, and you might have a slight inkling of the pieces of Vonnegut's puzzle.

Still, for all of the crazy characters and situations in "Cat's Cradle," it's ultimately a brilliant satire of the Cold War; at one particular moment a character realizes the importance of dichotomies, why we must believe the other is "evil" for us to be able to see ourselves as "good" and how absurd such things are, how phony and constructed they are. At the heart of all this is Vonnegut's brilliant metaphor for the cat's cradle, and it's a beauty.

Even if all this political satire doesn't grab you, just the way in which Vonnegut manages to throw a dozen ridiculous balls in the air and keep them well juggled and catch them all with grace by the final page is testament to his skill. "Cat's Cradle" is a book that'll make you sit up and think, but will also make you laugh out loud and maybe even touch you emotionally, particularly during the American ambassador to San Lorenzo's speech. It's so gut wrenching and absurd and oh so wonderfully written that you'll be hooked before you even realize it. Read it; this is as good as it gets.