Name: A Man Without a Country
ISBN: 9780747584063

A Man Without a Country

A Man Without a Country is Kurt Vonnegut’s hilariously funny and razor-sharp look at life ("If I die—God forbid—I would like to go to heaven to ask somebody in charge up there, ‘Hey, what was the good news and what was the bad news?"), art ("To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."), politics ("I asked former Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton what he thought of our great victory over Iraq and he said, ‘Mohammed Ali versus Mr. Rogers.’"), and the condition of the soul of America today ("What has happened to us?"). Based on short essays and speeches composed over the last five years and plentifully illustrated with artwork by the author throughout, A Man Without a Country gives us Vonnegut both speaking out with indignation and writing tenderly to his fellow Americans, sometimes joking, at other times hopeless, always searching.

What Hacker News says

acomjeanNov 2019

Vonegut came to speak at UMass in the 90s. It was kinda surreal, as I wasn't sure about half of what he was talking about. Interesting though.

I do enjoy reading his books, even as not much of a fiction reader.

His essays in "a Man without a country". particularly the "shape of stories", where he visualizes plots on a graph.

https://visage.co/kurt-vonnegut-shows-us-shapes-stories/

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criddellMay 2018

Kurt Vonnegut made me more mindful before I even knew that was a word. In A Man Without a Country he relays some advice given to him by his uncle:

> I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

Since reading that ten years ago I've done that almost daily. Often I'm only saying it to my dog but it certainly has made me appreciate the small moments that can be wonderful.

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jeebusroxorsNov 2010

Kurt Vonnegut has some good stuff. Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle and I really liked A Man Without a Country.

The Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG

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bgrohmanAug 2010

I highly recommend Kurt Vonnegut's books. You should try A Man Without A Country.

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foulmouthboySep 2009

Vonnegut's book A Man Without a Country has his full analysis (with drawings) including his thoughts on Kafka and Hamlet.

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hotnfreshOct 2023

Woolf’s To the Lighthouse and Orlando are under a 4. But under a 4 is guaranteed bad? LOLWUT.

And that’s just the first author I checked.

Vonnegut’s Deadeye Dick (less of a crowd pleaser than his handful of biggest books, but certainly not in the bottom tier of his works) is under a 4. The A Man Without a Country collection, which is more of interest as a curiosity than because much of it’s good, is over a 4.

Yeah, you may as well flip a coin.

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