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Joe and Mark are flying without a guest this episode, as they discuss Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut.

They talk about Vonnegut’s life, in particular his experiences during World War II; Vonnegut was captured during the Battle of Bulge and then lived through the firebombing of Dresden. They talk about how this experience shaped his writing, his view of science and his humanism.

Cat’s Cradle came out in 1963, before Vonnegut had the immense success of Slaughterhouse 5, which was based on his experiences in the war. Before he became well-known, Cat’s Cradle was an underground hit in the hippie movement, largely because of the pacifist message and Vonnegut’s invented religion, Bokonism.

They chat about the charms of the book, the importance of the novel in Vonnegut’s canon, and how well it has aged over the decades since it was first published.

The verdict: both Mark and Joe recommend the book, and believe that it should be on everyone’s reading list at some point.