Unstuck in Time
A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut's Life and Novels
By Gregory D. Sumner | Publisher: Seven Stories Press
About the book
In Unstuck in Time, Gregory Sumner guides us, with insight and passion, through a biography of fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut’s best known works, his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on his last book, A Man Without a Country (2005), to illustrate the quintessential American writer’s profound engagement with the \"American Dream\" in its various forms. Sumner gives us a poignant portrait of Vonnegut and his resistance to celebrating the traditional values associated with the American Dream: grandiose ambition, unbridled material success, rugged individualism, and \"winners\" over \"losers.\" Instead of a celebration of these values, we read and share Vonnegut’s outrage, his brokenhearted empathy for those who struggle under the ethos of survival-of-the-fittest in the frontier mentality—something he once memorably described as \"an impossibly tough-minded experiment in loneliness.\" Heroic and tragic, Vonnegut’s novels reflect the pain of his own life’s experiences, relieved by small acts of kindness, friendship, and love that exemplify another way of living, another sort of human utopia, an alternative American Dream, and the reason we always return to his books.
Editions of Unstuck in Time
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781609803490
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781609804305
- EBook
- ISBN 9781609803605
Read an Excerpt
In Unstuck in Time, Gregory Sumner guides us, with insight and passion, through a biography of fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut’s best known works, his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on his last book, A Man Without a Country (2005), to illustrate the quintessential American writer’s profound engagement with the \"American Dream\" in its various forms. Sumner gives us a poignant portrait of Vonnegut and his resistance to celebrating the traditional values associated with the American Dream: grandiose ambition, unbridled material success, rugged individualism, and \"winners\" over \"losers.\" Instead of a celebration of these values, we read and share Vonnegut’s outrage, his brokenhearted empathy for those who struggle under the ethos of survival-of-the-fittest in the frontier mentality—something he once memorably described as \"an impossibly tough-minded experiment in loneliness.\" Heroic and tragic, Vonnegut’s novels reflect the pain of his own life’s experiences, relieved by small acts of kindness, friendship, and love that exemplify another way of living, another sort of human utopia, an alternative American Dream, and the reason we always return to his books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Unstuck in Time about?
In Unstuck in Time, Gregory Sumner guides us, with insight and passion, through a biography of fifteen of Kurt Vonnegut’s best known works, his fourteen novels starting with Player Piano (1952) all the way to an epilogue on his last book, A Man Without a Country (2005), to illustrate the quintessential American writer’s profound engagement with the \"American Dream\" in its various forms. Sumner gives us a poignant portrait of Vonnegut and his resistance to celebrating the traditional values associated with the American Dream: grandiose ambition, unbridled material success, rugged individualism, and \"winners\" over \"losers.\" Instead of a celebration of these values, we read and share Vonnegut’s outrage, his brokenhearted empathy for those who struggle under the ethos of survival-of-the-fittest in the frontier mentality—something he once memorably described as \"an impossibly tough-minded experiment in loneliness.\" Heroic and tragic, Vonnegut’s novels reflect the pain of his own life’s experiences, relieved by small acts of kindness, friendship, and love that exemplify another way of living, another sort of human utopia, an alternative American Dream, and the reason we always return to his books.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Unstuck in Time?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Biography: general > Biography: writers
Where can I read a sample of Unstuck in Time?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781609803490
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Unstuck in Time?
Gregory D. Sumner
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Unstuck in Time is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781609803490) and paperback(ISBN 9781609804305) and ebook(ISBN 9781609803605)
Where can I buy Unstuck in Time online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy Unstuck in Time?