I spent a lot of time in the library this August while my daughter attended Driver's Education class in the town next to mine.
Mostly I worked and tried not to look at books but eventually the
temptation was too much and one day I walked straight up to and grabbed
"Breakfast of Champions" from the staff pics book display. I went
straight back to atrium and began to read. I read "Breakfast of
Champions" the first time when I was around 15. It rarely occurs to me
to read something again but in this case I felt like it was the right
thing to do. I had no idea how much Vonnegut's world view shaped my own
at that tender age. I guess I am grateful for it although reading the
book again 40 years after it was written is slightly depressing. All of
the things he shed light on about human behavior has not changed one
iota. We're ruining the planet and our cultures. What would he say about
the Kardashians and the tendency in the media to manipulate the
population into caring about things that really have no bearing on our
existence here on earth. I finished the book yesterday and I feel a bit
melancholy today. I worry about the future and it's hard to keep under
wraps. So that's what I'm dragging around.
