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City selects Vonnegut classic "Slaughterhouse-Five" for One Book, One City -- Indy's Choice Volume 5
April 11, 2007
IMCPL's Chris Cairo and Mayor Bart Peterson unveil this year's One Book, One City selection
After weeks of book club meetings, public discussion and votes being cast, the people of Indianapolis have selected Slaughterhouse-Five by literary legend Kurt Vonnegut for "One Book, One City -- Indy's Choice Volume 5." The theme for this year's One Book, One City program ties into Indianapolis' "Year of Vonnegut" celebration that kicked off earlier this year, honoring the life and work of homegrown author Kurt Vonnegut.
Slaughterhouse-Five centers on the infamous firebombing of Dresden and follows the lead character, Billy Pilgram, and his odyssey through time, including his experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the destruction of Dresden. A 1969 review by The New York Times called Slaughterhouse-Five "very tough and very funny... sad and delightful... very Vonnegut."
In collaboration with the citywide "Year of Vonnegut" celebration, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library invited residents to select their favorite Vonnegut book from a list of 25 titles. The top five Vonnegut books were announced in March and included Cat's Cradle, A Man Without A Country, Palm Sunday, The Sirens of Titan, and Slaughterhouse-Five. From that list, the public then selected Slaughterhouse-Five for the One Book, One City program, which was created five years ago to stress the importance of reading and unite the community around literature and discussing one book.
"Certainly this year's One Book, One City has a very special meaning for our city as we honor our very own living literary legend, Kurt Vonnegut," Peterson said. "The people of Indianapolis had a tall task in settling on a single Vonnegut classic. For me, it seems that my favorite Vonnegut book is always the last one I read -- but you can't go wrong with the masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five."
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Vonnegut now resides in New York City. He regularly references Indianapolis in his work and remains outspoken about how his formative years in Indianapolis shaped him as a person and a writer.
This year's One Book, One City programming includes discussions at each branch library through April 30. Visit http://onebook.imcpl.org for a complete listing of public events related to One Book, One City.
More than 500 commemorative copies of Slaughterhouse-Five will be available to check out from library shelves. Area bookstores have ordered regular-priced copies as well to ensure that those interested will have easy access to the book.
"One Book, One City -- Indy's Choice," a collaboration between the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, was created to unite the community around reading and discussing one book.
The program is made possible in part through the support of the Netherleigh Fund.
