Book List

We'll be reading the following books by Kurt Vonnegut in this order. Because some of you might be well acquainted with Vonnegut's writing and others are just encountering him for the first time, I've placed orders for two sets of books. Some of you might just want to buy the individual novels, but for those of you who are interested in further reading the Library of America editions will cost you about as much in most cases and come with extra books, short stories, ample critical notes, and more. Copies have been ordered at both the UC Bookstore and DuBois Bookstore, however you should be able to find plentiful used copies via Amazon, ABE Books, Powell's, etc. 

• Player Piano (1952) — ISBN: 9780385333788
• Mother Night (1961) — ISBN: 9780385334143

or

• Novels & Stories 1950–1962 — ISBN: 978-1598531503 (also includes The Sirens of Titan and stories)

• Cat's Cradle (1963) — ISBN: 9780385333481
• God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine (1965) — ISBN: 9780385333474
• Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969) — ISBN: 978-0440180296
• Breakfast of Champions (1973) — ISBN: 978-0385334204

or

• Novels & Stories 1963–1973 — ISBN: 978-1598530988 (also includes stories)

• Jailbird (1979) — ISBN: 9780385333900
• Deadeye Dick (1982) — ISBN: 9780385334174
• Galapagos (1985) — ISBN: 9780385333870

or

• Novels & Stories 1976–1985 — ISBN: 978-1598533040 (also includes Slapstick)

Additionally, I've asked the bookstore to order a few copies of Gregory D. Sumner's recent book Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut's Life and Novels. This is an entirely optional text that offers strong capsule analyses of each of Vonnegut's fourteen novels and might be a useful resource for students, particularly when aiming to make connections between the books or trace themes throughout the texts at the end of the semester (though I recommend waiting until you've finished each book before reading Sumner's chapter). I also wholeheartedly recommend — though it's completely optional — Charles J. Shields' 2011 biography, And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life to students who are already familiar with Vonnegut and who are interested in going beyond the books themselves. Even though I've taught this course several times (most recently this past spring) I'll consult these two books as I prepare for each novel.