57. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and science fiction stories for literary fiction lovers

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. We take some conversational bunny trails to explore our high school reading experiences, our relationships with science fiction, and our philosophical ponderings inspired by Billy Pilgrim’s story. As usual, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with Vonnegut’s most famous work, including anti-war satire and sci-fi  short stories.

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Chelsey

• This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Amazon)
• Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (Amazon)
• Regeneration by Pat Barker (Amazon)

Sara

• Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (Amazon)
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (Amazon)
• A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (Amazon)
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

Postmodern literature

Arrival

The Writer's Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five by Tom Roston

The Ezra Klein Show: Why Sci-fi Legend Ted Chiang Fears Capitalism, Not A.I.