Last week we all lost a literary great, Kurt Vonnegut: war hero,
anthropologist, and writer of such greats as Breakfast of
Champions and Cat’s Cradle. He’s left us a legacy of quotable
writing, humor, and thought provoking literary scenes. And so
this week we are rereading Slaughterhouse-Five in tribute to
Vonnegut. The semi-autobiographical novel recounts Vonnegut’s
own days as a prisoner of war in World War II, when he witnessed
the massive bombing of Dresden that burned and debilitated the
entire city. The bombing killed—according to some estimates—up
to 135,000 people in a matter of hours. In true Vonnegut
fashion, the novel is a work of stylistic genius, brilliant
comedic relief, and thought-provoking richness. We’ll say no
more. We will, however, note that several years ago, on a trip
to the (now beautifully restored) Dresden, we took a bus out to
Schlachthofring, the circle of slaughterhouses in which Vonnegut
was imprisoned during his time in Dresden. Though our guidebook
listed this desolate place as