As a teenager growing up in the 1970's, Kurt Vonnegut was one of my favorite writers. Slaughterhouse Five left a lasting impression on me, as did Breakfast of Champions. "So it goes" and Vonnegut's sketches will be forever imprinted in memory. Thirty years later I picked up God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian and was reminded why this author struck such a strong chord with me - irreverent social commentary, sharp wit, idolized figures knocked off their pedestal, cultural analysis, irony - all these are here again in, I suppose, one of Vonnegut's final works (I would need to research that but I'm not bothering).



Here, Vonnegut turns a series of "after-life" interviews he conducted for National Public Radio into a book. Number one irony - Kevorkian keeps "killing" Vonnegut and bringing him back to life to report on his interviews of famous and not so famous people, including the likes of Hitler. Each vignette is rich with Vonnegut's style and it leaves the reader with some belief to reconsider or an insight about accepted traditions or interpretations of historical figures and events. And as always, Vonnegut provides a good number of thoughtful laughs.