Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style

This book is ostensibly a “how-to” book about how to write with style from the master of stylish writing, Kurt Vonnegut. It is, however, a compilation of thoughts, ideas, and excerpts from the writing and instructions of Vonnegut by one of his students, the author. This reader felt that nothing new was advanced about the art of writing or about Vonnegut’s approach to that subject. The reader will be well served by going to the source and reading any of Vonnegut’s masterful fourteen novels or other writings. Vonnegut’s sharp humorous books were shaped by unique experiences. As a soldier in World War II, he was captured and put to work in Dresden after the calamitous firebombing. After the war, his knowledge of bureaucracy and technocracy was deepened at General Electric. This experience provided fodder for his unique take on the world as it increasingly became a world of corporate power. Ultimately, I would think that Vonnegut’s take on writing would be to see the world in your own unique way.