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Breakfast of Champions

Date Posted: 10.01.07
Last Revision: 10.07.07

I had to take two valiums because of this book! I kept trying to fall asleep, but every time I almost dozed off I remembered something from the book and woke up thinking too hard or worse laughing too hard.

I read Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut because a friend insisted that I should read it before reading Cat's Cradle. She also suggested The Human Stain by Philip Roth so her taste is pretty good.

I am going to save time by borrowing a summary from bookrags.com.

Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but unknown writer who is invited to deliver a keynote address at a local arts festival in distant Midland City. Dwayne Hoover is a wealthy businessman who owns much of Midland City.

Unfortunately Dwayne is mentally unstable and is undergoing a gradual mental collapse. Kilgore arrives in Midland City and, by happenstance, piques the interest of Dwayne. A confused Dwayne demands a message from Kilgore, who hands over a copy of his novel. Dwayne reads the novel, which purports to be a message from the Creator of the Universe explaining that the reader - in this case Dwayne - is the only individual in the universe with free will. Everyone else is a robot. Dwayne believes the novel to be factual and immediately goes on a violent rampage, severely beating his son, his lover, and nine other people before being taken into custody.

To be continued �

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