Chapter One
There Was Always Someone to Talk with, to Play with, to Learn From

Literary luminaries including Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, and Zora Neal Hurston became famous in the world of arts and letters only after they died. Kurt Vonnegut achieved fame during his lifetime, and his literary legacy catapulted him into the ranks of those in world literature who had at least one book that will leave its mark on the world for generations of readers. Sun Tzu, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, James Joyce, Anne Frank, Mary Shelley, Maya Angelou, and many others deemed the most famous authors in history captured the human condition - each in his or her own way. Slaughterhouse-Five is that one book for Vonnegut. Unlike Sun Tzu's Art of War, Slaughterhouse-Five is a lesson in why there should be an Art of Peace. And why not Vonnegut, a soldier who learned first-hand about war's devastation.

Speaking to his readers as a fellow reader, the common man, Vonnegut was utterly uncommon. He was a soldier, journalist, artist, scholar, author, teacher, humorist, car salesman, public relations lackey, and a voice of multiple generations. His books have sold millions of copies. Vonnegut was recognized with countless awards during his lifetime. His list of accolades is long and impressive. He served in prestigious professorships at Harvard, Smith College, and the Iowa Writers Workshop, among others, yet, despite several attempts, he never received a college degree until honorary degrees were bestowed on him following his writing success. During his first attempt at a college degree, he left school to serve his country during World War II. On his second attempt, he dropped out to get a job to support his new family. For a young man who was raised to believe education was everything, these educational sacrifices did not go unnoticed. Vonnegut's decision to serve in the military and to marry Jane Cox and raise a family gave him the life experiences and support network needed to unleash his brilliant and creative mind on the world. He would later receive multiple honorary degrees from various universities, including Hobart and Smith College, City University of New York, and the University of Chicago.

Vonnegut hailed from German freethinkers. His great grandfather, Clemens Vonnegut, born Catholic in 1824, was a "rabble-rouser," who fled religious persecution following his participation in demonstrations for religious freedom in Germany. He married Katarina Blank and enjoyed a successful business life, acquiring sole ownership of a jointly owned hardware enterprise and renaming it Vonnegut Hardware Company, a local favorite until 1965, when the company was sold, with the new owners keeping the name. Clemens became a leader on the Board of School Commissioners in Indianapolis, and, with his family, engaged in creating a German freethinkers community in Indianapolis.

The concept of "freethinkers" today is closely related to humanism. In his book Timequake, Vonnegut wrote, "Humanists try to behave decently and honorably without any expectation of rewards or punishments in an afterlife. The creator of the Universe [sic] has been to us unknowable so far. We serve as well as we can the highest abstraction of which we have some understanding, which is our community."1

Vonnegut's paternal grandparents, Bernard Vonnegut and Nanette Schnull Vonnegut, perpetuated the family's tradition of freethinking. Bernard established an architecture firm, Vonnegut and Bohn. Their interest in the arts, enhanced by Nanette's education in music and literature, was imparted on son Kurt Vonnegut Sr., who carried on the family tradition of community engagement and enjoyment of the arts. He also led the family architecture business. His son, Kurt Jr., appreciated his family's contributions to the Indianapolis architectural landscape. His fondest childhood memories related to the home his father designed for his family, which included Kurt Jr.'s two older siblings, Bernard and Alice. Vonnegut's mother, Edith, was the cultured daughter of a beer-brewing family. After her death in 1944 from an overdose of prescription medication, Vonnegut wrote: "It is rather for us, the living, to be here dedicated - and dedicated we are, Bernard, Alice and Kay, to those elements of our mother which were her birthright: complete and unself devotion to her family morality; inflexible sense of fair play; childlike love for all things alive."2

Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922, celebrated then as Armistice Day, a day of peace. On the surface, Vonnegut's childhood in Indianapolis was idyllic and did not prepare him for the challenges he faced in his early twenties. While it is clear from letters written during his early life that he enjoyed nearly everything a child needs to be physically and emotionally healthy, he did not escape the childhood fears and worries about home or school. A closer look reveals a boy who was bullied by classmates yet seen by others as funny, smart, handsome, and the life-of-the-party. His childhood - enriched but also requiring hard work and accountability - allowed him to survive later tragedies and maintain his spirit and faith in humanity. Vonnegut possessed a curiosity about a higher power, at times denying and at times embracing its existence, a contradiction that many humans experience.

His formative years were spent with friends and a large extended family, visits to nature, and a commendable public-school education at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, which published the only daily high school newspaper in America at the time. Vonnegut served as one of its editors. As an adult, he became a journalist, capitalizing on the same skills present in Vonnegut even as a child: his ability to observe and eloquently and accurately assess people and situations - the human condition.

While his parents loved one another, they were not a happy couple. External circumstances related to the Great Depression and the loss of much of their wealth; the mistreatment of German Americans, which began during World War I; and the fears and challenges brought on by World War II exacerbated the internal demands that they - like all parents - faced when trying to raise a family. Unlike most families, Vonnegut's family could afford to provide jobs for household servants. Ida Young, a grandchild of slaves, became the family's cook and inspired ideas and characters in some of the books that made Vonnegut famous. She was the person he came home to after school each day to talk about his day. From the Bible stories she told and the stories of historical struggles of the African American community, he learned about ancient and more recent slavery and racial segregation. He memorized a passage from The Lord's Prayer that he often quoted when giving graduation speeches years after achieving success: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This quotation both served him and helped him understand the loving kindness expressed by Mrs. Young. His concern for the human condition stemmed, in part, from knowing and loving her. Vonnegut wrote of her in the Preface of his book Wampeters, Fomas, and Grandfalloons: "At least I am aware of my origins - in a big, brick dreamhouse designed by my architect father, where nobody was home for long periods of time, except for me and Ida Young." Vonnegut said, "Ida Young, in combination with my Uncle Alex, had as much to do with my upbringing as my parents did."3

Vonnegut's Uncle Alex was a kind-hearted individual with whom Vonnegut spent many hours learning about the world and observing the unconditional love his uncle shared in his marriage. Uncle Alex and his wife Raye - their strong bond and kind, affectionate behavior - was a welcome contrast to the difficult yet committed relationship Vonnegut observed with his parents. Vonnegut was curious about human relationships and especially after he began dating as a teenager. The strength he developed during this time and his belief in the innate goodness of humans gave him the fortitude he needed to survive the worst human treatment he faced as a young adult during World War II.

Throughout Vonnegut's adult life - in his speeches and interviews and in his books - the theme of Eden is ever present. Aspects of Vonnegut's childhood created a memorable Eden. These include an extended family, a sense of religious freedom and meaningful discussions with adults about topics of God and humanism, common decency that is often reflected in the term Midwest values, the importance of meaningful work, and a solid education including both school and community assets such as a strong public library system and a sense of sticking together through difficult times. In one interview, Vonnegut said: "We all should have extended families. We need them, just like we need vitamins and minerals. And most of us don't have those extended families anymore. I had one in Indianapolis, when I was born, which was in 1922. I had uncles and aunts all over the place, and cousins, family businesses that I could go into, whole rows of cottages that were full of my relatives. There was always someone to talk with, to play with, to learn from."4

Vonnegut's older brother, Bernard, remained a friend throughout his life but Vonnegut was especially close to Alice. She was the middle child and was his playmate. Vonnegut's books...