cat's cradle book review

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CAT'S CRADLE

by Kurt Vonnegut ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 1963

The narrator is researching for his book, The Day the World Ended, when he comes up against his karass, as he later understands it through Bokononism. It leads him to investigate Dr. Hoenniker, "Father of the A-Bomb," whom his son Little Newt says was playing cat's cradle when the bomb dropped (people weren't his specialty). The good doctor left his children an even greater weapon of devastation in ice-nine, an inheritance which won his ugly daughter a handsome husband; little Newt, a Russian midget just his size for an affair that ended when she absconded with a sliver of ice-nine; and made unlikely Franklin the right hand man of Papa Monzano of San Lorenzo, a make-believe Caribbean republic. On the trail of ice-nine, the narrator comes in for Papa's death and is tapped for the Presidency of San Lorenzo. Lured by sex symbol Mona, he accepts, but before he can take office, ice-nine breaks loose, freezing land and sea. Bokonon, the aged existentialist residing in the jungle as counter to the strong man, formulates a religion that makes up for life altogether: since the natives are miserable and there is little hope for changing their lot, he takes advantage of the release of ice-nine to bring them a happy death. The narrator's karass is at last made clear by Bokonon himself, leaving him to commit a final blasphemy against whoever is up there. A riddle on the meaning of meaninglessness or vice versa in a devastation-oriented era, with science-fiction figures on the prowl and political-ologies lanced. Spottily effective.

Pub Date: March 18, 1963

ISBN: 038533348X

Page Count: 308

Publisher: Holt Rinehart & Winston

Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1963

SCIENCE FICTION | GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION | GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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by Kurt Vonnegut ; edited by Edith Vonnegut

by Kurt Vonnegut & Suzanne McConnell

by Kurt Vonnegut ; edited by Jerome Klinkowitz ; Dan Wakefield

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

More by Max Brooks

by Max Brooks

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM

From the remembrance of earth's past series , vol. 1.

by Cixin Liu ; translated by Ken Liu ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 11, 2014

Remarkable, revelatory and not to be missed.

Strange and fascinating alien-contact yarn, the first of a trilogy from China’s most celebrated science-fiction author.

In 1967, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, young physicist Ye Wenjie helplessly watches as fanatical Red Guards beat her father to death. She ends up in a remote re-education (i.e. forced labor) camp not far from an imposing, top secret military installation called Red Coast Base. Eventually, Ye comes to work at Red Coast as a lowly technician, but what really goes on there? Weapons research, certainly, but is it also listening for signals from space—maybe even signaling in return? Another thread picks up the story 40 years later, when nanomaterials researcher Wang Miao and thuggish but perceptive policeman Shi Qiang, summoned by a top-secret international (!) military commission, learn of a war so secret and mysterious that the military officers will give no details. Of more immediate concern is a series of inexplicable deaths, all prominent scientists, including the suicide of Yang Dong, the physicist daughter of Ye Wenjie; the scientists were involved with the shadowy group Frontiers of Science. Wang agrees to join the group and investigate and soon must confront events that seem to defy the laws of physics. He also logs on to a highly sophisticated virtual reality game called “Three Body,” set on a planet whose unpredictable and often deadly environment alternates between Stable times and Chaotic times. And he meets Ye Wenjie, rehabilitated and now a retired professor. Ye begins to tell Wang what happened more than 40 years ago. Jaw-dropping revelations build to a stunning conclusion. In concept and development, it resembles top-notch Arthur C. Clarke or Larry Niven but with a perspective—plots, mysteries, conspiracies, murders, revelations and all—embedded in a culture and politic dramatically unfamiliar to most readers in the West, conveniently illuminated with footnotes courtesy of translator Liu.

Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-7653-7706-7

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Tor

Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

SCIENCE FICTION

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Book Review

Cat’s cradle.

Kurt Vonnegut
Science Fiction

Readability Age Range

High school and up
Originally published by Holt, Rineheart and Winston in 1963 and is now published by others, such as Dial Press, a division of Random House Inc.

Year Published

This satirical sci-fi novel by Kurt Vonnegut was originally published by Holt, Rineheart and Winston in 1963 and is now published by others, such as Dial Press, a division of Random House Inc. Although written for adults, it is found on high school reading lists. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness.

Plot Summary

John (whose last name is never given) tells readers he began writing a book thousands of cigarettes, numerous bottles of booze and two wives ago. He planned to call it The Day the World Ended and to focus on the day the first atomic bomb was dropped. John’s book actually becomes another story entirely. His tale begins as he researches the deceased Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the scientist known as the father of the atomic bomb. He writes to the doctor’s youngest son, Newt, whom he later learns is an artist, a pre-med flunkee and a small person. Newt responds in a candid letter about the man who single-handedly raised him and his two siblings, Frank and Angela. Newt’s account highlights the doctor’s self-absorption, indifference and ignorance to the danger he brought into the world and sets the stage for the book’s critique of modern man.

John visits Dr. Hoenikker’s hometown and his former supervisor, Dr. Breed. He learns more about Dr. Hoenikker’s obsession with his scientific tinkerings and his neglect of all human beings, including his family. Dr. Breed tells John about a hypothetical substance called ice-nine with which Dr. Hoenikker was tinkering at the time of his death. In theory, ice-nine would stack atoms in such a way as to freeze any water it touched with a melting point of 114.4 degrees. While Breed insists the substance never really existed, John learns much later that the doctor had actually created it. Upon his death, his three children secretly divided the remaining shards of ice-nine among themselves.

John learns that Newt’s older brother, Frank, is the Minister of Science and Progress on a small, remote island called San Lorenzo. John wonders how the troubled Frank landed such a position and decides to visit him. The nation has a colorful history. Though many countries have ruled it at various times, no one fought for it when another country took over. The natives live in extreme poverty, ruled by a dictator called “Papa” Monzano. “Papa” has a hauntingly beautiful daughter named Mona, and John falls for her the moment he sees her picture in the San Lorenzo guidebook.

En route to San Lorenzo, John also reads about the country’s rogue spiritual leader called Bokonon. The Books of Bokonon contain the prophet’s writings in the form of short rhymes, calypso songs and re-tooled famous quotes and biblical principles. Bokonon makes it clear that his book is made up entirely of lies, yet nearly all San Lorenzo residents follow him. John learns that some years earlier, two men named McCabe and Johnson washed ashore on San Lorenzo and decided to rule it. They determined that since they couldn’t improve the economic situation to make the people less miserable, they would use religion to give the people hope. They further believed that if religion were outlawed, people would become all the more passionate about following it. So Johnson became Bokonon and created his own religion. McCabe ruled the nation with an iron fist, threatening residents with impalement on a giant hook if they were caught following Bokonon. Despite the clearly false, cynical underpinnings of Bokononism, John becomes a follower as well. His newfound beliefs thread throughout the entire novel.

John flies to San Lorenzo with the nation’s new American ambassador and his wife. Also aboard the plane are an American bicycle builder and his wife looking for cheap laborers, and Newt and his sister, Angela. To John’s chagrin, they announce they’ll be attending Frank’s marriage to Mona Monzano. “Papa,” already in poor health, nearly dies at the ceremony to welcome the group. A panicked Frank, who doesn’t have the social skills to rule in his future father-in-law’s stead, begs John to become the next leader of San Lorenzo. He promises to handle the technical details, and even insists John should marry Mona. John reluctantly agrees when Mona becomes part of the package. He meets the beautiful Mona at last, only to discover she is strange and passive. He and Frank go to “Papa” when they learn the end is near. Though “Papa” keeps calling for ice, he will not accept it when it’s given. The men are finally called in to see his strangely stiff dead body, and John realizes the ice “Papa” wanted was ice-nine . “Papa” had used it to kill himself. Frank admits he bought his way into his position in San Lorenzo by telling “Papa” about a powerful substance he possessed. The man giving “Papa” last rites touches the ice-nine to his lips and dies also. John and Dr. Hoenikker’s three children secretly and cautiously clean up the ice-nine mess and hide the bodies. John learns that, like Frank, the other siblings used their ice-nine for selfish gain. The unattractive Angela got herself a trophy husband, who sold the secrets of ice-nine to the U.S. government. Newt got himself a week of passion with a Ukrainian ballerina, who promptly left him and shared ice-nine with Russia.

A ceremony involving the ambassador is already in progress at the castle. John decides to wait until it is completed to tell the others that “Papa” is dead and that he is taking over. At the ceremony, a military plane explodes and hits the castle, causing part to crumble and “Papa’s” body to be thrown into the sea. The water immediately turns to ice-nine , tornados form and the sky darkens. Mona and John run for safety to “Papa’s” underground bunker, where they hole up for several days until they stop hearing tornados outside. When they venture out, they see the ice-nine has caused mass devastation. They come upon a mountain of dead native bodies who, at Bokonon’s suggestion, all killed themselves by tasting ice-nine . Mona feels it’s a simple solution, and she does the same. John finds the bicycle manufacturer, his wife, Newt and Frank alive. They seem to be the only ones left on earth. Just as John wonders what he’s supposed to do, he and Newt see Bokonon on the roadside. Bokonon says if he were a younger man, he would write a book, climb a mountain, ingest some ice-nine and thumb his nose at God as he died. Readers are left to assume that’s what John does.

Christian Beliefs

John says to call him Jonah because something has always compelled him to be at certain places at certain times. As he writes his presidential acceptance speech, he says he finds it impossible not to lean on God, though he had never felt the need for such support before. He finds he actually believes the support is there for him.

Other Belief Systems

John ditches Christianity to become a Bokononist. Bokonon is a religion unabashedly founded on foma (lies), because truth doesn’t fulfill human needs. Bokonon himself warns in the front of his book that people shouldn’t read it since none of it is true. John still contends that comforting lies are useful and says anyone who can’t see that won’t understand the book he is writing. Bokononists believe humanity is organized into God-ordained teams that do His will without ever discovering what they are doing. Each team is called a karass . Members of a karass are people who become tangled up in each other’s lives for no apparent logical reasons. He scoffs at silly and pointless granfalloons , which are groups with which people associate themselves based on where they live, where they attended college or church, etc. Bokonon considers anyone a fool who thinks he can see what God is doing. Bokonon believes that the only good society can come when great good and great evil are pitted against one another, causing high tension at all times. When John asks Frank what Bokononists do hold sacred, Frank says not even God as far as he can tell.

Christianity and God are frequently ridiculed. One character says Dr. Hoenikker (creator of several highly destructive inventions) was as harmless, gentle and innocent as Jesus, minus the Son of God part. John describes another man as a platinum blond Jesus. The man ends up trashing John’s house, hanging his cat and writing a poem on his kitchen floor in excrement.

In an essay ghost-written for publicity, Frank reports having washed up on the shores of San Lorenzo after having lifted his eyes to the Maker and asking His will to be done. San Lorenzo is marketed as a Christian nation, a statement in which the bicycle manufacturer and his wife take great comfort, but everyone on the island is a Bokononist. As “Papa” lies on his deathbed, a Christian minister with a bell, a butcher knife, a live chicken in a hatbox and a Bible wait to meet any spiritual needs that may arise. He tells John he attended a Bible college in Little Rock, which he learned about in a Popular Mechanics ad. Since both Catholicism and Protestantism had been outlawed on San Lorenzo, the minister says he had no choice but to make up a lot of new stuff on his own.

“Papa,” who has supposedly been hunting Bokonon all his career, makes a deathbed confession that he’s a Bokononist. He calls the minister a stinking Christian and tells him to get out. “Papa” receives the light-hearted Bokononian last rites, which state that God created man out of mud because He was lonely. Man looked around and realized he could only feel important because he got up and walked around, while the other mud near him did not. It continues that man saw lots of interesting things and couldn’t wait to get to heaven to see what good things he had done for God. Later, John learns a Bokononist passage that shows God creating man out of mud. Man sits up and asks what is the purpose of all this. God tells man He will leave it to him to think of a purpose. Then He goes away. One character sings the praises of Jesus, only to admit later it was just something to say because people must say something to keep their voice boxes in working order.

Bokonon’s writings sometimes consist of the author’s version of biblical ideas. For example, rather than the Bible’s call to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, Bokonon says to pay no attention to Caesar because he hasn’t got the slightest idea what’s going on. However, when Bokonon tries to overhaul the 23rd Psalm, he finds he is unable to change a word.

Bokononists practice boko-maru , where two people take off their shoes and touch their feet together. Bokonon created it to make people feel better about each other and the world.

Authority Roles

Dr. Felix Hoenikker, brilliant scientist and father of the atomic bomb, has little concern for other people, his own motherless children included. He tinkers and invents deadly creations for his own pleasure with no thought to how they may impact the world. God is depicted as a comical being who creates man because He’s lonely. But then He tells man to discover a reason for his own existence. McCabe and Johnson wash up on San Lorenzo and decide to rule by creating a complex system of lies.

Profanity & Violence

Expletives including b–tard, b–ch, fugging (used in place of the f-word), d–n, h—, crap, p—ant, s—, screw and various forms of the Lord’s name used in vain appear frequently. One Bokononist word is simultaneously translated as “s— storm” and “the wrath of God.”

Frank tortures bugs by putting many in a jar together and shaking it violently. He punches his sister hard in the stomach, making her roll around on the ground in pain. John allows a man to use his house, and the man ends up hanging and killing John’s cat.

Sexual Content

Newt recalls a fiction book someone sent his father that included a huge sex orgy before the atomic bomb blew up the world. Newt and his brother, Frank, secretly keep the book for themselves and read it often. When John visits the Hoenikkers’ hometown, he gets drunk and sleeps with a woman he calls a whore. A bartender says Frank Hoenikker was one of those kids who made model airplanes and jerked off all the time. Frank later admits that while working at a hobby shop, he was having sex with the owner’s wife. The ambassador’s wife, who writes book indexes as a career, claims she can tell a person’s character by reading an index he or she has written. She says she can tell that the man who indexed the book about San Lorenzo is a homosexual. When John arrives on San Lorenzo, he briefly describes the women’s breasts and men’s genetalia sticking out from beneath their loincloths. John later says Mona’s breasts are like pomegranates.

While boko-maru (Bokonon’s foot touching) isn’t inherently sexual, it is the ultimate sensual experience for Mona. John describes his first boko-maru with her as a passionate, almost religious experience that leaves him in awe. He says he’s had sex with more than 53 women and seen them undress in every way possible, but nothing made him groan like this. When he tells Mona she must not do that with any other man, she’s disappointed because she likes promiscuity. When he later describes their first sexual experience together, he calls it a repulsive, unpleasant tussle. Mona sees sex as nothing more than a means for reproduction. After ice-nine kills nearly everyone, John and Newt discuss whether either has any sexual urges left. They decide they don’t and realize that the excitement in bed must have had more to do with the desire to keep the human race going than they realized.

Discussion Topics

Additional comments.

Cat’s Cradle mocks science and religion and their claims to truth. Vonnegut suggests the ignorance, indifference and self-absorption of modern man, not some form of evil, are the root of the world’s problems. Like the game of cat’s cradle itself – where, Newt points out, there is no cat and there is no cradle – life, religion and everything else are false and meaningless. God playfully sends out His creation to follow endless rabbit trails.

Drugs, tobacco and alcohol: Various characters smoke cigars or cigarettes and drink alcohol, some in excess. John recalls himself as a younger man, 250,000 cigarettes and 3,000 quarts of booze ago. John says hearing Angela’s haunting clarinet playing is a little like experiencing a heroin nightmare.

Political incorrectness: People frequently refer to Newt, a dwarf, as “little Newt.” The bicycle manufacturer’s wife refers to someone as a Jap.

Suicide: “Papa,” Mona and numerous San Lorenzens kill themselves by taking ice-nine . McCabe shoots himself when he gets tired of living.

This review is brought to you by Focus on the Family, a donor-based ministry. Book reviews cover the content, themes and world-views of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. A book’s inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Cat’s Cradle: Filled with bitter irony and playful humor

fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviews

Like all of Kurt Vonnegut ’s books, Cat’s Cradle (1963) is very easy to read but fiendishly difficult to review. It’s basically about two main themes: 1) Some scientists are completely unconcerned with what their research and inventions are used for, as long as they given the opportunity to pursue their own research. 2) Religion is a bunch of lies, but at the same time it can make you happier and less angst-ridden about life. It’s filled with bitter irony and playful humor, and it’s frequently hard to distinguish the two. Are you supposed to laugh at man’s foolishness and hubris, or feel sympathy for his plight, which is the same for all of us? Some detractors believe Vonnegut is the most bitter of cynics, while his fans view his outlook on life as the most honest and humanistic among modern authors.

Like many others, I read Cat’s Cradle back in high school for English class. Basically all I could recall after 20 years was that Felix Hoenikker invented ice-nine, and that it had disastrous consequences for the planet. Everything beyond that was completely gone from memory, other than that I liked the book.

After that I read Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Fiv e (1969), which was a very powerful statement about the absurdity of war that really stuck with me, far more than Cat’s Cradle .

So I decided to give this book another try, this time with the audiobook narrated by Tony Roberts. I’d say that the narrator took a very unobtrusive approach, letting Vonnegut’s work speak for itself. There are some narrators that try very hard to distinguish characters with distinct accents, but this often has the effect of feeling forced. Especially for a writer like Vonnegut, whose sentences are short and unadorned, I feel like that is the best approach. This was opposite to Tom Hollander, the narrator for A Clockwork Orange , who absolutely nailed the unique NadSat language created by Burgess. Here Tony Roberts never got in the way, and that was a good decision.

Cat’s Cradle is a story about a writer, John, researching about what some Americans were doing when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He soon becomes interested in the family of Felix Hoenikker, a fictional physicist who helped develop the bomb. As he gets in contact with Hoenikker’s children, he soon learns that Felix was an absent-minded scientist utterly indifferent to other human beings, including his own family, and who only cared about science as a series of puzzles to be solved. He is a classic Aspergers-type personality, and it’s frightening to think that scientists like this invented atomic bombs, nerve gas, chemical weapons, etc. This theme certainly struck home for me, as my father was a linguistics professor who was very absorbed with his life’s work and sometimes seemed pretty distant from family life, but then again his field of study has far less destructive potential than nuclear physics.

The second part of the novel involves John’s travels to San Lorenzo, a fictional banana republic in the Carribbean Sea, to track down one of Felix Hoenikker’s children. Frank Hoenikker has become the right-hand man of the ailing dictator of the island, President “Papa” Monzano. John also encounters a number of other oddball characters, and more importantly the local religion, known as Bokononism. It’s an offshoot of Christianity, but the founder freely admits that it’s a pack of lies intended to make people better behaved and happier. It’s probably the invented terms of Bokononism that are the greatest invention of Cat’s Cradle , and many of the terms have became embedded in popular culture after the book gained popularity.

The most famous concepts of Bokononism are probably “foma” (harmless lies that make you live a better life), “karass” (a group of people linked in some mysterious entwining of fates), “duprass” (a karass of two people, such as a long-married couple), “grandfalloon” (a false karass, like the concept of Hoosiers, i.e. people connected with something superficial like being from the same home state), and “wampeter” (the underlying theme or reason that unites a karass; often unclear to the members). The book is sprinkled with various snippets of Bokononist wisdom, which mostly take an irreverent attitude towards god and life, but essentially amount to “don’t take life so seriously — it doesn’t make all that much sense. But try to be a good person anyway.” It’s certainly fair to imagine that this isn’t far from the life philosophy of Vonnegut himself.

Vonnegut’s prior novel The Sirens of Titan (1959) also features the Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, so it’s fairly easy to see a connection here. Even though the concepts of Bokononism are appealing and humorous, since Bokonon admits they are all lies, is Vonnegut telling us that religion serves a useful purpose if it makes us behave more compassionately to each other? I don’t think he is merely a cynic who debunks all human endeavors as pointless. Instead, he is telling us that while there may be no divine presence looking out for and directing our lives, it’s still within our power to create meaning in our lives. And just like The Sirens of Titan , he uses his unique brand of absurdist humor to cushion this otherwise hard-to-swallow idea. Can you imagine a Vonnegut book with the same message but without the humor? That would be just awful.

Having now listened to The Sirens of Titan and read Mother Night (1961), I’d say my favorite of the three books is Mother Night , which I felt was the most personal and powerful in its message and characters, and far less absurdist than the other two books. I’ll be listening to Slaughterhouse-Five narrated by Ethan Hawke next, and as that was my favorite back in high school, I’m really wondering if I’ll still like it as much this time around.

~Stuart Starosta

Now I know where the metal band Ice Nine Kills got their name.

~Kat Hooper

STUART STAROSTA, on our staff from March 2015 to November 2018, is a lifelong SFF reader who makes his living reviewing English translations of Japanese equity research. Despite growing up in beautiful Hawaii, he spent most of his time reading as many SFF books as possible. After getting an MA in Japanese-English translation in Monterey, CA, he lived in Tokyo, Japan for about 15 years before moving to London in 2017 with his wife, daughter, and dog named Lani. Stuart's reading goal is to read as many classic SF novels and Hugo/Nebula winners as possible, David Pringle's 100 Best SF and 100 Best Fantasy Novels, along with newer books & series that are too highly-praised to be ignored. His favorite authors include Philip K Dick , China Mieville , Iain M. Banks , N.K. Jemisin , J.G. Ballard , Lucius Shepard , Neal Stephenson , Kurt Vonnegut , George R.R. Martin , Neil Gaiman , Robert Silverberg , Roger Zelazny , Ursula K. LeGuin , Guy Gavriel Kay , Arthur C. Clarke , H.G. Wells , Olaf Stapledon , J.R.R. Tolkien , Mervyn Peake , etc.

KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance , Robin Hobb , Kage Baker , William Gibson , Gene Wolfe , Richard Matheson , and C.S. Lewis .

What I remember about Cat’s Cradle is that there is one thing you aren’t supposed to be able to do with a first-person narrator, and Vonnegut does it.

Since this book was published, of course, people have found all kinds of other ways to do it but I think he was the first.

Yes, Vonnegut has always taken his own approach to narrators and the author’s role in the story. Billy Pilgrim was not a surrogate for Vonnegut’s own experiences in Dresden – he was actually in the same slaughterhouse with Billy. And the narrative device of “getting unstuck in time” allows him to flit back and forth through Billy’s life with total abandon.

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Cat's Cradle

Kurt Vonnegut | 4.28 | 344,649 ratings and reviews

Ranked #7 in Satire , Ranked #9 in Postmodernism — see more rankings .

Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Cat's Cradle from the world's leading experts.

Ev Williams Co-Founder/Twitter, CEO/Medium Recommends this book

Andy Stern I think it's something that progressives need to think about, because the book talks a lot about two tendencies that people can adopt, to try to find meaning and purpose. One is kind of a sheer technological approach, and the other is more of a spiritual and religious approach. The book talks about the perils and challenges of each way. Sometimes we as progressives defend technology and science and fact, and other people – clearly both progressive and otherwise – appreciate the spiritual more. Then on either extreme, the book tries to say that blind adherence to either tendency also has huge... (Source)

Rankings by Category

Cat's Cradle is ranked in the following categories:

#57 in 20th Century
#26 in American
#35 in American Literature
#77 in Americana
#66 in Author
#37 in Censorship
#48 in Classic Sci-Fi
#33 in Comedic
#89 in Comedy
#88 in Dark
#44 in End Of The World
#53 in Existential
#15 in Free Will
#100 in Hugo Award
#83 in Humanity
#64 in Humor
#87 in Life Changing
#82 in Literary
#76 in Literature
#77 in Modern
#60 in Modern Classic
#95 in Modern Fiction
#100 in Most Influential
#64 in Science Fiction
#85 in Syfy
#56 in Used
#29 in Weird

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Book Reviews

Review – Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr

6th March 2020

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a book about big issues, nuclear war, environmental concerns and the role of governments. As you are reading, it doesn’t take long to start reflecting on life, hope and the future. It’s not a defeatist book but it might come across that way.

Told with deadpan humour & bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut’s cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon &, worse still, surviving it …

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding ‘fathers’ of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he’s the inventor of ‘ice-nine’, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker’s three ecentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker’s Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh… Goodreads

Vonnegut Jr, tempers the weight with skilled writing, humour and sarcasm providing wider themes to enjoy: highlighting the human need for connection, relationships, love and the often irresponsible ways people behave to achieve a measure of closeness.

Cat’s Cradle was first published in 1963 and it is a book out of time and completely of its time. For instance there are no politically correct words here – there are racial epithets and derogatory terms for women. I read past that to the themes that resonated. I don’t know if it was ironic or intentionally thought provoking that a black leader was pivotal to this story and the white saviour came and did not save.

However the issues this book raises are still relevant and discussed today but just not using these words. What I vaguely remember from reading it before and what resounds again now is the power of religion to give comfort and explain the mysteries of life. The incongruity being that Bokononism is a new cobbled together religion based on the concept of ‘foma’, which is defined as harmless untruth

“A foundation of Bokononism is that the religion, including its texts, is formed entirely of lies; however, one who believes and adheres to these lies will have peace of mind, and perhaps live a good life.” Wikipedia

On the surface, this feels like a superficial read about a dysfunctional family yet it is much more than that, deep themes are explored stimulating the synapses to ponder on the meaning of life, family and our world.

3 Stars – Liked It

Tags: Religion Science Fiction Setting - USA

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Book review: cat’s cradle vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut, who writes with one of the most unique voices I have ever encountered, was just introduced to me two weeks ago. Somehow, I escaped reading Slaughterhouse 5 in high school but now that a friend recommended him, I decided to dive into the borderline nihilism that disguises many of his works. I read 3 of his books in the last two weeks and have decided that I might as well be a bokononist.

Cat’s Cradle though originally published in 1963, seems to still contain some very relevant advice for our current situation. The book introduces a religion called Bokononism, which Bokonon, the creator of the religion, acknowledges as being completely fabricated. He made it up so that the people of an impoverished island would feel better about themselves. Close friends with the ruler, Bokonon convinces the ruler to outlaw the religion which in turn makes the religion even more powerful from martyrdom. The religion serves as a humanistic way of establishing connections with each other despite the turmoil unfolding in the surrounding world. Everyone knows that the religion is just a game to keep themselves occupied but that doesn’t stop any of it from having deep meaning to the practitioners.

The cosmogony of Bokononism can be summed up like this. Man was made from mud and then asked God, “What is the purpose of all of this?” And God asked man if everything need a purpose which man replied “Certainly.” And God replied “Then I leave it to you to think of one for all of this” (Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle, Chapter 118). As we look around at the collapsing world and start to turn to nihilism at an alarming rate, I can’t help but notice that the absurdity of Bokononism actually works. Disguised behind the ridiculous humor and the nihilistic notions is actually a glimpse of hope, or rather how we can live happily by fooling ourselves into hope. Vonnegut seems to be making the point that whether the belief is rational or not, if it serves the end of making us all feel more human, more connected, more hopeful, then the belief is worth our attention.

When a bokononist is about to die they issue the Bokononist last rites. Another bokononist has the dying person repeat the few lines before their death, namely that God made mud, we are some of that mud that got to sit up and look around at all that God had made, and we are the lucky mud because of it (Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle, Chapter 99). Cat’s Cradle, though ultimately about the end of the world, does a brilliant job of reaching through the pages to remind us in our darkness that we are still the mud that can read, we are the mud that can think, we are the mud that can hope.

by Anton Jones

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut [Traveling Book Review]

This is one of my favorite books in the world, how did it hold up during my re-read?

About the Book

Publisher: Penguin | Release Date: January 1, 1963 | Pages: 306 Genre: Classics, Science Fiction | Format: Paperback | Source: Purchased

Told with deadpan humor and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut’s cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it …

Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding ‘fathers’ of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he’s the inventor of ‘ice-nine’, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker’s three eccentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker’s Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh…

This post uses affiliate links and I may receive a small commission for purchases made through my links at no additional cost to you. Click here for more info.

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This is one of my favorite books, and one that I have read countless times since first reading it about 15 years ago. This is my first re-read since becoming a book blogger, and it was very interesting for me to re-read a coveted book of mine with a different lens than I had in the past; it made for an enlightening and new experience reading a book that I am incredibly familiar with.

“Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.”

As one of the best satirists of our time, Vonnegut juxtaposes science and religion in Cat’s Cradle. Our narrator Jonah (a likely allusion to Jonah and the whale) – also known as John – investigates the life of the Father of the atomic bomb to write a book and embarks on a journey towards the next man-made destructive event in the form of ice-nine.

“Science is magic that works.”

First published in 1963 during the Cold War and six years before the Moon Landing, Cat’s Cradle takes a look at the destructive creations made by science, the ownership of these products of destruction, and the power relationship in government. The latter of which I find particularly interesting, especially given the context of the world in 1963, as the Republic of San Lorenzo ensures to always have an “enemy” for the people; the constant vilification against religion while holding science to be paramount, and the irony is not lost on the reader when the end comes, as it often does, from scientific discovery.

This is classic Vonnegut with an interesting and unconventional narrative style that readers will either love or hate. While the storytelling and exposition are linear, I think that some readers will struggle for the first 100 pages. I promise that the exposition and seemingly loose threads at the start all do tie together.

This review is the start of the Fall Traveling Book Review, where I am sending my well-loved copy of Cat’s Cradle to eight other bloggers around the world to be read and annotated! I am so excited about this new project, and if you missed out don’t worry, the Winter Traveling Book Review will begin in January. Below are the bloggers that are participating, and I will update this post as their reviews are done! For now, be sure to check out their amazing blogs!

Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Molly @ Molly’s Madness

Rachel @ paceamorelibri

Grey @ Revised Origins

Libby @ Dimscreen

Jo @ Online Blanketfort

Kelsey @ There’s Something About KM

Zoe @ Mythical Reads

Let’s go on another adventure together!

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Reader Interactions

26 comments.

September 17, 2018 at 2:38 PM

This has been on my TBR forever!!

September 17, 2018 at 2:44 PM

YOU SHOULD READ IT IT’S WONDERFUL.

September 17, 2018 at 3:34 PM

September 17, 2018 at 7:29 AM

CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS! It’s going to be my first Vonnegut! Thanks so much for organizing this, it’s going to be a lot of fun!!

September 17, 2018 at 7:37 AM

AHHHHHH I am so excited to be introducing you all to my favorite author! I can’t wait to see what you think, and thanks for signing up!

September 17, 2018 at 5:09 AM

So excited to receive this one in January!

September 17, 2018 at 7:36 AM

I can’t wait to see what you think of it, Jo!

September 13, 2018 at 7:44 AM

I am so excited to be a part of this and I just can’t wait for the book to get here 🙂 It will be my first time reading this book, or any Vonnegut for that matter, and I am really looking forward to it. Especially after reading such a great review 🙂

September 14, 2018 at 10:09 AM

I am so excited to share this book with you, Molly! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

September 12, 2018 at 8:07 PM

Loved your review because it shows that passion for this book and why it would be a book you selected for this. I am so excited to get to read this for the first time and get to see what others think of it along the journey of this book. If this goes as well as I think it will, I know I will be part of the Winter traveling book as well. Thank you for doing this!

September 13, 2018 at 7:35 AM

Thank you so much, Grey, and I am glad that my love of this book shined through! This is a tough title to review because it is so ~strange~ and I didn’t want to give too much of the plot away, but I truly think this is some of the best satire. I hope you enjoy it too, thanks so much for signing up!

I am already starting to think about what the Winter book will be… hmmmmmm

September 12, 2018 at 2:30 PM

Lovely review! This is going to be my first time reading anything by Vonnegut, so I’m really excited (and a little nervous). Thank you for letting me join in your traveling book adventure! <3

September 13, 2018 at 7:32 AM

Thank you Destiny, and honestly I am really nervous that you all will hate it and I am already feeling guilty that I recommended it so highly. I hope you enjoy it, but even if you don’t it is a FAST read!

September 15, 2018 at 10:38 PM

Awww, for what it’s worth, I really don’t think I will hate it! I’m honestly super excited and I was flipping through it a bit earlier and it seems like a HELLA fast read. I’m trying to catch up on a couple of ARCs right now but plan on finishing it by the middle of the week so I can mail it out while I’m running errands Thursday!

September 17, 2018 at 7:25 AM

Yea it reads SO FAST and the pacing is pretty good once you get through the beginning a bit! Shout at me when you start reading it, love!

September 12, 2018 at 9:20 AM

So thrilled to be part of this – especially since this will be my first read of Cat’s Cradle . 😊 The two quotes from the book that you included in your review have my annotating-senses tingling! 😏😉

September 13, 2018 at 7:19 AM

I am so excited to share this book with you and cannot wait to hear what you think! There are so many excellent quotes in the book, so I am really looking forward to everyone’s annotations!

September 13, 2018 at 7:22 AM

Oh me too!! Thank you for including me in the experience! 💖

September 12, 2018 at 9:14 AM

Glad you enjoyed this one 😀

September 13, 2018 at 7:17 AM

Thank you, it’s always and forever one of my faves!

[…] hates annotations which makes me self-conscious about it. But, I did take part in Kaleena’s Traveling Book Review for Cat’s Cradle which necessitated writing in the margins, and it was quite a lot of […]

[…] Kaleena @ Reader Voracious […]

[…] read this novel as a part of the Traveling Book Review organized by Kaleena over at Reader Voracious: Kaleena shipped out her copy of Cat’s Cradle […]

[…] Taking part in the fall traveling book review hosted by Kaleena @ Reader Voracious! […]

[…] Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (re-read): first published in 1963 during the Cold War and six years before the Moon Landing, Cat’s Cradle takes a look at the destructive creations made by science, the ownership of these products of destruction, and the power relationship in government. This story is timeless and relevant today with an unconventional narrative style that readers will either love or hate. [Full Review] […]

[…] Vocarious reviewed Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut – I’d not heard of this Vonnegut book before now but it sounds intriguing and I like […]

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Cat's Cradle: A Novel Kindle Edition

Print length 306 pages
Language English
Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
Publisher The Dial Press
Publication date November 4, 2009
File size 939 KB
Page Flip Enabled
Word Wise Enabled
Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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	“[A] desperate, painfully honest attempt to confront the monstrous crimes of the twentieth century” (Time).	“Marvelous . . . [Vonnegut] wheels out all the complaints about America and makes them seem fresh, funny, outrageous, hateful and lovable.”—The New York Times	“[Kurt Vonnegut’s] best book . . . He dares not only ask the ultimate question about the meaning of life, but to answer it.”—Esquire	“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”—Time	“[Vonnegut] at his wildest best.”—The New York Times Book Review	A collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. “There are twenty-five stories here, and each hits a nerve ending.”—The Charlotte Observer

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review, from publishers weekly, about the author.

Tony Roberts is a familiar face from his appearances in numerous Woody Allen and other films, and his starring roles on Broadway in Arsenic and Old Lace , Promises, Promises , The Allergist's Wife , and Xanadu .

Kurt Vonnegut was a master of contemporary American Literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America's attention in The Siren's of Titan in 1959 and established him as "a true artist" with Cat's Cradle in 1963. He was, as Graham Greene has declared, "one of the best living American writers."

Cat's cradle, henry holt & company, chapter one.

1 The Day the World Ended Call me Jonah. My parents did, or nearly did. They called me John. Jonah-John-if I had been a Sam, I would have been Jonah still-not because I have been unlucky for others, but because somebody or something has compelled me to be certain places at certain times, without fail. Conveyances and motives, both conventional and bizarre, have been provided. And, according to plan, at each appointed second, at each appointed place this Jonah was there. Listen: When I was a younger man-two wives ago, 250,000 cigarettes ago, 3,000 quarts of booze ago . . . When I was a much younger man, I began to collect material for a book to be called The Day the World Ended. The book was to be factual. The book was to be an account of what important Americans had done on the day when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. It was to be a Christian book. I was a Christian then. I am a Bokononist now. I would have been a Bokononist then, if there had been anyone to teach me the bittersweet lies of Bokonon. But Bokononism was unknown beyond the gravel beaches and coral knives that ring this little island in the Caribbean Sea, the Republic of San Lorenzo. We Bokononists believe that humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God's Will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called a karass by Bokonon, and the instrument, the kan-kan, that bought me into my own particular karass was the book I never finished, the book to be called The Day the World Ended. 2 Nice, Nice, Very Nice "If you find your life tangled up with somebody else's life for no very logical reasons," writes Bokonon, "that person may be a member of your karass." At another point in The Books of Bokonon he tells us, "Man created the checkerboard; God created the karass." By that he means that a karass ignores national, institutional, occupational, familial, and class boundaries. It is as free-form as an amoeba. In his "Fifty-third Calypso," Bokonon invites us to sing along with him: Oh, a sleeping drunkard Up in Central Park, And a lion-hunter In the jungle dark, And a Chinese dentist, And a British queen- All fit together In the same machine. Nice, nice, very nice; Nice, nice, very nice; Nice, nice very nice- So many different people In the same device. 3 Folly Nowhere does Bokonon warn against a person's trying to discover the limits of his karass and the nature of the work God Almighty has had it do. Bokonon simply observes that such investigations are bound to be incomplete. In the autobiographical section of The Books of Bokonon he writes a parable on the folly of pretending to discover, to understand: I once knew an Episcopalian lady in Newport, Rhode Island, who asked me to design and build a doghouse for her Great Dane. The lady claimed to understand God and His Ways of Working perfectly. She could not understand why anyone should be puzzled about what had been or about what was going to be. And yet, when I showed her a blueprint of the doghouse I proposed to build, she said to me, "I'm sorry, but I never could read one of those things." "Give it to your husband or your ministers to pass on to God," I said, "and, when God finds a minute, I'm sure he'll explain this doghouse of mine in a way that even you can understand." She fired me. I shall never forget her. She believed that God liked people in sailboats much better than He liked people in motorboats. She could not bear to look at a worm. When she saw a worm, she screamed. She was a fool, and so am I, and so is anyone who thinks he sees what God is Doing, [writes Bokonon]. 4 A Tentative Tangling Of Tendrils Be that as it may, I intend in this book to include as many members of my karass as possible, and I mean to examine all strong hints as to what on Earth we, collectively, have been up to. I do not intend that this book be a tract on behalf of Bokononism. I should like to offer a Bokononist warning about it, however. The first sentence in The Books of Bokonon is this: "All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." My Bokononist warning in this: Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either. So be it. . . . About my karass, then. It surely includes the three children of Dr. Felix Hoenikker, one of the so-called "Fathers" of the first atomic bomb. Dr. Hoenikker himself was no doubt a member of my karass, though he was dead before my sinookas, the tendrils of my life, began to tangle with those of his children. The first of his heirs to be touched by my sinookas was Newton Hoenikker, the youngest of his three children, the younger of his two sons. I learned from the publication of my fraternity, The Delta Upsilon Quarterly, that Newton Hoenikker, son of the Noel Prize physicist, Felix Hoenikker, had been pledged by my chapter, the Cornell Chapter. So I wrote this letter to Newt: "Dear Mr. Hoenikker: "Or should I say, Dear Brother Hoenikker? "I am a Cornell DU now making my living as a free-lance writer. I am gathering material for a book relating to the first atomic bomb. Its contents will be limited to events that took place on August 6, 1945, the day the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "Since your late father is generally recognized as having been one of the chief creators of the bomb, I would very much appreciate any anecdotes you might care to give me of life in your father's house on the day the bomb was dropped. "I am sorry to say that I don't know as much about your illustrious family as I should, and so don't know whether you have brothers and sisters. If you do have brothers and sisters, I should like very much to have their addresses so that I can send similar requests to them. "I realize that you were very young when the bomb was dropped, which is all to the good, My book is going to emphasize the human rather than the technical side of the bomb, so recollections of the day through the eyes of a 'baby, if you'll pardon the expression, would fit in perfectly. "You don't have to worry about style and form. Leave all that to me. Just give me the bare bones of your story. "I will, of course, submit the final version to you for your approval prior to publication. "Fraternally yours-" 5 Letter from a pre med To which Newt replied: "I am sorry to be so long about answering your letter. That sounds like a very interesting book you are doing. I was so young when the bomb was dropped that I don't think I'm going to be much help. You should really ask my brother and sister, who are both older than I am. My sister is Mrs. Harrison C. Conners, 4918 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. That is my home address, too, now. I think she will be glad to help you. Nobody knows where my brother Frank is. He disappeared right after Father's funeral two years ago, and nobody has heard from him since. For all we know, he may be dead now. "I was only six years old when they dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, so anything I remember about that day other people have helped me to remember. "I remember I was playing on the living-room carpet outside my father's study door in Ilium, New York. The door was open, and I could see my father. He was wearing pajamas and a bathrobe. He was smoking a cigar. He was playing with a loop of string. Father was staying home from the laboratory in his pajamas all day that day. He stayed home whenever he wanted to. "Father, as you probably know, spent practically his whole professional life working for the Research Laboratory of the General Forge and Foundry Company in Ilium. When the Manhattan Project came along, the bomb project, Father wouldn't leave Ilium to work on it. He said he wouldn't work on it at all unless they let him work where he wanted to work. A lot of the time that meant at home. The only place he liked to go, outside of Ilium, was our cottage on Cape Cod. Cape Cod was where he died. He died on a Christmas Eve. You probably know that, too. "Anyway, I was playing on the carpet outside his study on the day of the bomb. My sister Angela tells me I used to play with little toy trucks for hours, making motor sounds, going 'burton, burton, burton' all the time. So I guess I was going 'burton, burton, burton' on the day of the bomb; and Father was in his study, playing with a loop of string. "It so happens I know where the string he was playing with came from. Maybe you can use it somewhere in your book. Father took the string from around the manuscript of a novel that a man in prison had sent him. The novel was about the end of the world in the year 2000, and the name of the book was 2000 A.D. It told about how mad scientists made a terrific bomb that wiped out the whole world. There was a big sex orgy when everybody knew that the world was going to end, and then Jesus Christ Himself appeared ten seconds before the bomb went off. The name of the author was Marvin Sharpe Holderness, and he told Father in a covering letter the he was in prison for killing his own brother. He sent the manuscript to Father because he couldn't figure out what kind of explosives to put in the bomb. He thought maybe Father could make suggestions. "I don't mean to tell you I read the book when I was six. We had it around the house for years. My brother Frank made it his personal property, on account of the dirty parts. Frank kept it hidden in what he called his 'wall safe' in his bedroom. Actually, it wasn't a safe but just an old stove flue with a tin lid. Frank and I must have read the orgy part a thousand times when we were kids. We had it for years, and then my sister Angela found it. She read it and said it was nothing but a piece of dirty rotten filth. She burned it up, and the string with it. She was a mother to Frank and me, because our real mother died when I was born. "My father never read the book, I'm pretty sure. I don't think he ever read a novel or even a short story in his whole life, or at least not since he was a little boy. He didn't read his mail or magazines or newspapers, either. I suppose he read a lot of technical journals, but to tell you the truth, I can't remember my father reading anything. "As I say, all he wanted from that manuscript was the string. That was the way he was. Nobody could predict what he was going to be interested in next. On the day of the bomb it was string. "Have you ever read the speech he made when he accepted the Nobel Prize? This is the whole speech: 'Ladies and Gentlemen. I stand before you now because I never stopped dawdling like an eight-year-old on a spring morning on his way to school. Anything can make me stop and look and wonder, and sometimes learn. I am a very happy man. Thank you.' "Anyway, Father looked at that loop of string for a while, and then his fingers started playing with it. His fingers made the string figure called a 'cat's cradle.' I don't know where Father learned how to do that. From his father, maybe. His father was a tailor, you know, so there must have been thread and string around all the time when Father was a boy. "Making that cat's cradle was the closest I ever saw my father come to playing what anybody else would call a game. He had no use at all for tricks and games and rules that other people made up. In a scrapbook my sister Angela used to keep up, there was a clipping from Time magazine where somebody asked Father what games he played for relaxation, and he said, 'Why should I bother with made-up games when there are so many real ones going on?' "He must have surprised himself when he made a cat's cradle out of the string, and maybe it reminded him of his own childhood. He all of a sudden came out of his study and did something he'd never done before. He tried to play with me. Not only had he never played with me before; he had hardly ever even spoken to me. "But he went down on his knees on the carpet next to me, and he showed me his teeth, and he waved that tangle of string in my face. 'See? See? See?' he asked. 'Cat's cradle. See the cat's cradle? See where the nice pussycat sleeps? Meow. Meow.' "His pores looked as big as craters on the moon. His ears and nostrils were stuffed with hair. Cigar smoke made him smell like the mouth of Hell. So close up, my father was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. I dream about it all the time. "And then he sang. 'Rockabye catsy, in the tree top'; he sang, 'when the wind blows, the cray-dull will rock. If the bough breaks, the cray-dull will fall. Down will come cray-dull, catsy and all.' "I burst into tears. I jumped up and I ran out of the house as fast as I could go. "I have to sign off here. It's after two in the morning. My roommate just woke up and complained about the noise from the typewriter."

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000SEH13C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Dial Press (November 4, 2009)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 4, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 939 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
#14 in Literary Satire Fiction
#55 in Humorous Literary Fiction
#73 in Read & Listen for $14.99 or Less

About the author

Kurt vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut was a writer, lecturer and painter. He was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. During WWII, as a prisoner of war in Germany, he witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired Slaughterhouse Five. First published in 1950, he went on to write fourteen novels, four plays, and three short story collections, in addition to countless works of short fiction and nonfiction. He died in 2007.

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Eclectic Assemblage

Review “cat’s cradle” by kurt vonnegut..

(First published 1963.)

Vonnegut is not for everyone, and I suspect many would find him far too cynical to truly enjoy. His world view has always seemed to me to be without illusion, though sometimes lacking in joy or hope. That being said, his books are always interesting and thought-provoking.

“Cat’s Cradle” starts with the narrator, John, describing a book he plans to write on the inventor of the atomic bomb, a character called Felix Hoenikker. John decides to speak to people who knew Dr Hoenikker personally in order to get some idea of what he was like. This leads him into a series of interractions with Hoenikker’s children and others, which in turn leads him away from his book and into a real apocalypse.

In this book, Vonnegut seems to be using a very basic plot only as a hook on which to hang a number of themes. He talks about the stupidity of people, the falsity of religion (and everything else), the inevitability of self-destruction, and the lack of free will. The Cold War was still well and truly underway, and the fears of nuclear destruction loomed large. So of course Vonnegut addresses this issue, by putting the weapon of annihilation not in the hands of government or military, but in the hands of Hoenniker’s children, three extremely neurotic and damaged individuals who are the last people anyone would trust with a weapon of mass destruction. One of these puts his weapon in the hands of a crazy dictator of a banana republic, who naturally decides to take the world down with him. Vonnegut seems to be saying that the end is inevitable, no matter what you do. Fighting against it is futile.

The title comes from a story a character tells about his father, who shows him the children’s game called ‘Cat’s Cradle’. The character finds this ridiculous as the string pattern that is made has no resemblance to a cat or a cradle.

No damn cat, and no damn cradle.

It becomes a symbol for the falsity of everything, which is a central theme of the book.

The religion, Bokonism, is admitted by its founder to be based on lies. He calls them ‘foma’ – harmless untruths, and says that living in this way makes you healthy and happy. While insisting from the outset that everything he says is a lie he nevertheless gains a devoted following – the last few pages in the book illustrate the full irony and tragedy of this belief. Vonnegut was obviously an atheist and his feelings about religion are made quite clear in this aspect of the book. As a person of faith myself I cannot entirely relate to this, though I would suggest that the habit of people to use religion for their own ends can distort what truth is in faith into something quite unrecognisable. Bokonon’s ‘lies’ meanwhile, have a certain truth in them:

“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”

The republic of San Lorenzo is a mish-mash of stereotypes of Latin American countries, including a dictator called ‘Papa’, a poverty stricken populace, an army equipped with American cast-offs, and a beautiful young girl who is beloved of the people. The author has been quite deliberate in choosing to depict the place in this way instead of more realistically. In a way, the entire situation is being seen through a veneer of American parochialism, which is aptly illustrated by the American businessman who wants to build a bicycle factory because he imagines it will be cheaper. With no infrastructure to speak of this seems unlikely, but the man is not deterred, believing as fervently in his own assumptions as the Bokonists believe in theit lies:

The people down there are poor enough and scared enough and ignorant enough to have some common sense!

He means, of course, that he expects to be able to exploit them, as happens frequently where multi-national businesses build factories in poor countries. He never gets to find out if he’s right. He and the rest see the country through their own false assumptions, and therefore cannot reach understanding.

Much of Vonnegut’s commentary on human foolishness comes by way of the characters he invents. Hoenikker senior, from what we know of him second-hand, comes across as a psychopath, devoid of feeling or morality. The narrator wants to know how he felt when the bomb was dropped, and according to his children he didn’t feel anything. He is described as dead by someone who knew him:

S ometimes I think that’s the trouble with the world: too many people in high places who are stone-cold dead

His children, damaged by his emotional abuse and apparently not inheriting much of his intelligence, are stunted emotionally and apparently incapable of understanding the magnitude of their mistakes. Frank in particular sells his part of a lethal weapon to the crazy ‘Papa’ for a position in his country, and seems indifferent to the utter stupidity of his action. It seems that the other two have also traded part of their ‘inheritance’, Angela to a husband who ran a factory making weapons for the government, and Newt to a woman who turned out to be a Russian spy. They show no regret for their actions and seem unable to comprehend why they should. The narrator ends this revealing scene by quoting the ‘Fourteenth Book of Bokonon’ which sums up the sheer stupidity of everyone involved.

What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on Earth, given the experience of the past million years? …

The beautiful Mona is in reality a quite apathetic person. She agrees to anything that is suggested and appears devoid of passion. She is fatalistic – she doesn’t argue or assert herself because she believes that whatever happens is meant to be. The narrator has fallen in love with a face, as have most of the men in San Lorenzo, but finds the person behind the face unfathomable. Julian Castle, who created a hospital in San Lorenzo, is seen as saintly, but according to his son reacts to death and suffering by giggling, which puts his motives into a more questionable light. So Hoenikker is not a great man, Frank is not a general, Papa is not a ruler, Mona is not an angel, and Castle is not a saint. The conclusion we must reach is that people themselves are false.

I find this book to be almost nihilistic, as it seems to lack belief that there is anything meaningful in life. Its commentary on the self-delusion and ultimately self-destruction of humanity is unsurprisingly still relevant. We always seem to be on the brink of disaster, whether it be nuclear or environmental catastrophe. Nothing changes because people tell themselves lies to justify greed before common sense. Consequently “Cat’s Cradle” may as well have been written yesterday.

T he hand that stocks the drug stores rules the world. Let us start our Republic, with a chain of drug stores, a chain of grocery stores, a chain of gas chambers, and a national game. After that we can write our Constitution.

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Book Review: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut ’s mind was a treasure trove of compelling and thought-provoking ideas, woven into narratives that challenged conventions, provoked introspection, and sparked conversation. His ability to engage readers on multiple levels – whether through his biting satire, profound insights, or dark humor – is both rewarding and intellectually stimulating.

His books possess a timeless quality that resonates with readers across generations. And often reveal new layers of meaning upon each re-reading. Every time I dive into one of Kurt Vonnegut’s books, I can’t help but feel that whichever one I’m currently reading is my favorite.

This time, I’ll be discussing Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical postmodern novel “Cat’s Cradle.” First published in 1963, the novel delves into a myriad of issues, including science, technology, religion’s purpose, and the arms race. Through its narrative, “Cat’s Cradle” offers a thought-provoking exploration of these themes, often employing satire and dark humor to illuminate the complexities of the human condition.

The book starts with a flashback narrated by John, or Jonah as he now calls himself. John explains that once when he was young, he had set out to “collect material for a book to be called The Day the World Ended” – insinuating about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Thus, a factual book, as he calls it. He then goes on to say that he was once a Christian, but now embraces Bokononism, a religion from the Caribbean Island of San Lorenzo.

Moving further he explains that the book required to gain insights into Dr. Felix Hoenikker, a key figure in the atomic bomb’s development, through his children: Frank, Angela, and Newt. And so, he plans to touch base with them.

Newt, the youngest, recalls his emotionally detached father’s failed attempt at a cat’s cradle during that fateful day. This shows Hoenikker’s brilliance but lack of emotional depth. Angela provides an address for John to reach out to her, while Frank’s whereabouts remain unknown.

After a year, John takes a writing job in Ilium, New York. This also happens to be the Hoenikkers’ former residence. John, here again delves into Dr. Hoenikker’s old workplace and their former neighbourhood. Here, he gets to know about “ice-nine”, a substance capable of cataclysmic freezing. And the compound was conceived by the scientist at the behest of the U.S. military.

As the plot moves further, John takes up another writing assignment, particularly, an article about Julian Castle. He (Julian) was once an irresponsible playboy, but later turned his attention to charity via his Castle Sugar Corporation. He opened a hospital on San Lorenzo where Castle Sugar operated. John journeyed to the island to interview him for a magazine.

So, as he was traveling to the island, he encounters various characters, including the American ambassador and the Hoenikker siblings, en route to Frank’s (oldest son of Hoenikker’s) wedding to Mona, the dictator’s daughter. While doing research into San Lorenzo’s tumultuous history onboard, John discovers Bokonon’s origins and the outlawed religion’s formation. Bokonon, originally named Lionel Boyd Johnson, co-founded the Republic of San Lorenzo alongside Earl McCabe, a former US Marine deserter. Together, they established the religion of Bokononism.

Upon his arrival, John becomes entangled in political machinations when Frank urges him to take over the presidency following the impending death of ‘Papa’ Monzano, who is the current dictator of San Lorenzo but is taken ill. Formerly, he served as Earl McCabe’s right-hand man and designated successor. And at the moment, he has appointed Frank Hoenikker as his own successor.

Despite the surreal nature of the situation, John acquiesces, swayed by financial inducements and the chance to marry Mona. Embracing Bokononism, John engages in the religion’s ceremonies, including the ritual of boko-maru. It happens to be a quasi-erotic Bokononist practice in which two individuals rub the soles of their feet together.

Then there happens a series of escalating crises on the island of San Lorenzo. With ‘Papa’ Monzano’s impending death, John is tasked with capturing Bokonon as a means to maintain control. However, before this can be resolved, ‘Papa’ dies from poisoning by ice-nine. The death of ‘Papa’ triggers chaos on the island and sets off a catastrophic global event: the freezing of water due to ice-nine contamination. This sudden freezing leads to widespread panic and devastation, not just on San Lorenzo but potentially worldwide.

In the chaos that follows, John witnesses the tragic consequences of Bokonon’s teachings and Mona’s demise. Bokonon’s philosophy likely plays a role in the mass suicides, as his teachings often involve existential and nihilistic themes that can lead individuals to despair or extreme actions.

While Mona’s death not only deepens the emotional resonance of the narrative but also underscores the broader implications of the events unfolding. In a way, her demise becomes a microcosm of the larger narrative. Thus, illustrating the human toll and adding layers of complexity to the story’s thematic exploration.

The book presents a stark example of how despite our efforts to impose order and meaning onto the world, we are ultimately at the mercy of chaotic forces beyond our control.

When it comes to scientific ambition, humanity’s relentless pursuit of knowledge and progress can yield dangerous consequences when ambition remains unchecked. Religion, on the other hand, is seen as perpetuating “lies” or “harmless untruths” only to provide a sense of purpose, morality, and structure in society, often under the guise of divine authority or revelation.

Kurt Vonnegut’s works often delve into the existential quest for meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe, and “Cat’s Cradle” is a prime example of this exploration. The novel explores how humans grapple with the absence of inherent meaning in their lives and the ways in which they attempt to manufacture it. For instance, Ice-Nine, with its catastrophic potential to freeze all water on Earth, becomes a metaphor for humanity’s capacity to create destructive meaning out of seemingly innocuous pursuits.

Also, this book reminds me of a quote from J. Robert Oppenheimer, reflecting on the detonation of the first atomic bomb during the Trinity test,

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all thought that one way or another.”

The novel prompts readers to consider the ramifications of unchecked technological advancement. And the need for ethical considerations in the pursuit of knowledge and progress.

Overall, “Cat’s Cradle” is not only a gripping and suspenseful read due to its apocalyptic premise, but one of its remarkable aspects is the vibrant and dynamic nature of its characters. Each character is distinct, with their own quirks, motivations, and internal conflicts. From the enigmatic figure of Bokonon to the bumbling yet brilliant scientist Felix Hoenikker, the characters in the novel come alive on the page, engaging readers with their complexity and humanity. It is this combination of compelling narrative and vibrant characterization that makes the novel such an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I’m sure those who enjoy thought-provoking literature will find it a rewarding read.

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How Did Cats Take Over the World? One Bizarre Drawing at a Time.

In “Catland,” Kathryn Hughes has a theory about our obsession with our feline friends — and one cat lover in particular.

The Louis Wain watercolor illustration portrays a group of cats cleaning a room; chaos has clearly ensued.

By Leah Reich

Leah Reich writes about tech and culture. She lives with Lumpy, her cat, in New York City.

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CATLAND: Louis Wain and the Great Cat Mania , by Kathryn Hughes

Anyone who has lived with a cat can tell you: Cats are familiars and mysteries in equal measure.

Despite the outsize presence of their little bodies, we sometimes seem to know very little about them. How did we find ourselves in this feline-dominated landscape, and why are we still discovering how much there is to know?

Arriving to explore this mystery — and to complicate it further — is “Catland,” by the writer and critic Kathryn Hughes. The title is both literal and metaphorical, a nod to the intertwined worlds the book explores: the imaginary place invented by the Victorian cat illustrator Louis Wain, and the lived landscape we continue to inhabit some 150 years later.

“Catland” is, at its core, an examination of a quickly modernizing, post-Industrial Revolution Britain, where everything was transforming, including cats — who went “from anonymous background furniture into individual actors.” In short order, cats lost their “weaselly faces and ratty tails” as their faces and eyes became rounder. (While Hughes refers to the quick genetic turnaround possible given cats’ reproductive behaviors, it is not entirely clear whether cats really looked like this or were simply represented as such by artists.)

As with designer dogs and their gentlemen breeders, early cat fanciers competed in cat shows, distinguishing their rarified breeds from the common alley and barn cats who multiplied without concern for lineage.

The commercial artist and illustrator Louis Wain’s art evolved alongside this emerging feline paradise, and his cats also grew both rounder in face and elevated in status — until, eventually, their society was as weird and complex as their owners’. At the height of his popularity, Wain’s cats were everywhere, doing everything — selling soap and boots in advertisements, being patriotic on postcards, riding bikes or bickering with spouses in newspapers and magazines.

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COMMENTS

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
(Book 427 From 1001 books) - Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut Cat's Cradle is the fourth novel by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1963. It explores issues of science, technology, and religion, satirizing the arms race and many other targets along the way.
CAT'S CRADLE
The narrator is researching for his book, The Day the World Ended, when he comes up against his karass, as he later understands it through Bokononism. It leads him to investigate Dr. Hoenniker, Father of the A-Bomb, whom his son Little Newt says was playing cat's cradle when the bomb dropped (people weren't his specialty). The good doctor left his children an even greater weapon of devastation ...
Cat's Cradle
"Cat's Cradle" is an irreverent and often highly entertaining fantasy concerning the playful irresponsibility of nuclear scientists. ... top authors and critics join the Book Review's podcast to ...
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Synopsis (from Goodreads) (truncated): "Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it …. Dr. Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world.
Cat's Cradle Review: Unveiling Vonnegut's Masterpiece
Book Review of "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, an iconic American writer, was known for his unique blend of satirical wit, social commentary, and science fiction. Open in app.
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Cat's Cradle: A Novel
Slaughterhouse Five is one of my five favorite books ever. I keep trying to find something else from Vonnegut that exudes the same energy and necessity of that book. Cat's Cradle didn't do it for me. At the end of the day, the novel felt naked and didactic, like an excuse to shout a world-view. It felt self-indulgent to me.
Cat's Cradle
Cat's Cradle mocks science and religion and their claims to truth. Vonnegut suggests the ignorance, indifference and self-absorption of modern man, not some form of evil, are the root of the world's problems. ... Book reviews cover the content, themes and world-views of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide ...
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
April 11, 2024 yggdrasille. Sometimes it's worth reading a book twice. My first go at this darkly satirical novel with shades of science fiction was a mighty struggle, but then I really enjoyed it on a re-visit. I've never read a Kurt Vonnegut novel before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from Cat's Cradle.
Cat's Cradle: Filled with bitter irony and playful humor
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut "Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy." Like all of Kurt Vonnegut's books, Cat's Cradle (1963) is very easy to read but fiendishly difficult to review. It's basically about two main themes: 1) Some scientists are completely unconcerned with what their research and inventions are used for, as long as they given the ...
Book Reviews: Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut (Updated for 2021)
Cat's Cradle. Kurt Vonnegut | 4.28 | 344,649 ratings and reviews. Recommended by Ev Williams, Andy Stern, and 2 others. See all reviews. Ranked #7 in Satire, Ranked #9 in Postmodernism — see more rankings. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing ...
Cat's Cradle: A Novel: Kurt Vonnegut: 8601400575338: Amazon.com: Books
The New York Times. Cat's Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.
Cat's Cradle
Cat's Cradle is a satirical postmodern novel, with science fiction elements, by American writer Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's fourth novel, it was first published on March 18, 1963, [1] exploring and satirizing issues of science , technology , the purpose of religion , and the arms race , often through the use of morbid humor .
Review
Reading whenever she can, often to the detriment of sleep. Enjoying most genres with preference for ebooks and audiobooks, mainly for convenience. Cat's Cradle was first published in 1963 and it is a book out of time and completely of its time. It is a book about big issues, nuclear war, environmental concerns and the role of governments.
How is Cat's Cradle, and is it worth reading? : r/books
Cat's Cradle is not only my favorite Vonnegut novel but my favorite novel, period. I read it for the first time when I was 16 and it has significantly influenced my opinions on religion, politics, and life. Yeah I uh, I didn't quite read it as deeply as you did.
Book Review: Cat's Cradle Vonnegut
I read 3 of his books in the last two weeks and have decided that I might as well be a bokononist. Cat's Cradle though originally published in 1963, seems to still contain some very relevant advice for our current situation. The book introduces a religion called Bokononism, which Bokonon, the creator of the religion, acknowledges as being ...
Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is a really good book : r/books
Particularly in Cat's Cradle, no spoilers, but the way the ending is necessary in order to give the rest of the book a sense of cohesion and purpose is such a beautifully written story. It's absolute mesmerising to see how the metafictive creation of the book actually amounts to the cohesive manifestation of meaning and purpose, where Vonnegut ...
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut [Traveling Book Review]
This review is the start of the Fall Traveling Book Review, where I am sending my well-loved copy of Cat's Cradle to eight other bloggers around the world to be read and annotated!I am so excited about this new project, and if you missed out don't worry, the Winter Traveling Book Review will begin in January.
Book Review of Cat's Cradle : r/kurtvonnegut
Cats Cradle was intense, but it was so very Vonnegut in the best ways. All the meandering, the characters, the science, coming together into something big but meaningless, and finding meaning in those closest to you. It's not my favorite (Sirens of Titan is), but it's one of them. Nicely done. Busy, busy, busy!
Cat's Cradle: A Novel Kindle Edition
A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat's Cradle is one of the twentieth century's most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best. "[Vonnegut is] an unimitative and inimitable social satirist."— Harper's Magazine "Our finest black-humorist . . . We laugh in self-defense."— Atlantic Monthly
Review "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut.
Review "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. (First published 1963.) Vonnegut is not for everyone, and I suspect many would find him far too cynical to truly enjoy. His world view has always seemed to me to be without illusion, though sometimes lacking in joy or hope. That being said, his books are always interesting and thought-provoking.
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Paperback
New York Times Book Review. Tony Roberts has a plummy voice touched with petulance. This tone was appropriate when he played the hapless good-looking friend in early Woody Allen movies. The undertone of disappointment is also apt for this beloved first novel by Kurt Vonnegut. CAT'S CRADLE was published in 1963.
Cat's Cradle's Comedic Nihilism
Cat's Cradle tells the tale of a man who sets out to document the biographical details of a deceased (fictional) mastermind behind the development of nuclear weapons, but who instead uncovers a bizarre Caribbean political situation and a new tool at least as dangerous as the atomic bomb. Along the way, the protagonist becomes acquainted with ...
Book Review: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Book Review: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. February 28, 2024 February 28, 2024 Pooja Kashyap. Kurt Vonnegut's mind was a treasure trove of compelling and thought-provoking ideas, woven into narratives that challenged conventions, provoked introspection, and sparked conversation. His ability to engage readers on multiple levels - whether ...
Book Review: 'Catland,' by Kathryn Hughes
The title is both literal and metaphorical, a nod to the intertwined worlds the book explores: the imaginary place invented by the Victorian cat illustrator Louis Wain, and the lived landscape we ...