Slaughterhouse Five

I've been talking about how wonderful this autobiographical novel is since senior year of college. My Modern American Novel teacher deserves my deepest thanks for assigning it during my penultimate semester; why hadn't anyone else recommended it before? How had I not realized the genius, humor and grace with which Vonnegut tackles his subjects? Since the first reading, I've read it yearly, and really, truly think everyone should have someone force this book on them.

The book centers on the bombing of Dresden during World War II, which Vonnegut was actually present at. Billy Pilgrim is Vonnegut's alter-ego, and "has come unstuck in time"; throughout the novel, he ventures back and forth between his present life in the 1960s and his time as a prisoner in Germany. He was captured by German soldiers, and brought to Dresden, where he survived the fire bombing by hiding in an underground slaughterhouse. Oh, and he's been traveling to and from Tralfamadore, an alien planet where he and a beautiful actress are on display in a zoo. I know what you're thinking: an autobiographical, science fiction novel of a tragedy of epic proportions? Vonnegut mixes all of these aspects beautifully. It is also sprinkled very sporadically with sketches like this one:
It's one of the great novels of the late twentieth century, and relatively short. Not a bad way to while away an afternoon.