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Available
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Publication
Publisher Unknown (1969)
Description
From Slapstick's "Turkey Farm" to Slaughterhouse-Five's eternity in a Tralfamadorean zoo cage with Montana Wildhack, the question of the afterlife never left Kurt Vonnegut's mind. In God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian, Vonnegut skips back and forth between life and the Afterlife as if the difference between them were rather slight. In thirty odd "interviews," Vonnegut trips down "the blue tunnel to the pearly gates" in the guise of a roving reporter for public radio, conducting interviews: with Salvatore Biagini, a retired construction worker who died of a heart attack while rescuing his schnauzer from a pit bull, with John Brown, still smoldering 140 years after his death by hanging, with William Shakespeare, who rubs Vonnegut the wrong way, and with socialist and labor leader Eugene Victor Debs, one of Vonnegut's personal heroes. What began as a series of ninety-second radio interludes for WNYC, New York City's public radio station, evolved into this provocative collection of musings about who and what we live for, and how much it all matters in the end. From the original portrait by his friend Jules Feiffer that graces the cover, to a final entry from Kilgore Trout, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian remains a joy.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member nesum
As much as I like Vonnegut, I cannot recommend this particular book to anyone. It is self-indulgent and dull, and only serves to put Vonnegut's words into the mouths of famous dead people rather than making a statement as to the actual philosophy and views of those people. There are a thousand ways
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he could have made this particular one interesting, but he didn't. A shame. Show Less
LibraryThing member ecataldi
Vonnegut becomes a "reporter on the afterlife" and works with Dr. Kevorkiaan to have "controlled near death experiences." He straps himself to a gurney and lets Dr. Kevorkian work his magic in order to go to the pearly gates and interview people. While in the "blue tunnel" Vonnegut befriends Saint
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Peter and gets to interview dozens of people such as: John Brown, Hitler, Eugene Debs, William Shakespeare, Isaac Asimov, Sir Isaac Newton, and many more. The interviews are quite short and humorous ranging from one to four pages in length. Each story imparts some sort of moral or irreverent value and shows what a genius Kurt Vonnegut really is. It's an insanely quick read and showcases Vonnegut's zany and brilliant writing style. Show Less
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
A light bit of fluff with some social commentary woven in. I'm really not sure why he didn't go ahead and make a novel of it. His supposed retirement, I guess. The premise is that of orchestrating near-death experiences so that he could interview the dead.
LibraryThing member rores28
Typical dry sardonic Vonnegut that any Vonnegut fan has come to know and love. My main gripe is that all of his bickering and cleverness has really been fleshed out more thoroughly in some of his other works (Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions) and I feel like once you've read a few
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Vonnegut books you've read them all. Show Less
LibraryThing member shawnd
This is a short, precocious little book (77 small-format pages in the one I had, with really sparse printing). The premise is that the protagonist has been enabled by Dr. Kevorkian and some technology to be able to do managed near-death experiences, and use these to visit with people in Heaven just
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briefly. Some of the interviewees include random Joes and also Adolf Hitler and Clarence Darrow. The book is a well-written little satire. If viewed from the perspective that Vonnegut wanted to make political and moral statements (as usual) in a jabbing satire, this is an enjoyable aperitif you could consume over a long latte. Show Less
LibraryThing member Amzzz
Kurt Vonnegut delves into the afterlife... literally! He interviews people in heaven and comes up with some cute stories, but overall this book didn't really appeal to me.
LibraryThing member dczapka
This book, a measly 80 pages, is such a quick read (25 minutes for me) that it's hard to resist, especially as it's one of the late, great Kurt Vonnegut's last published works.
This book highlights what is so wonderful about Vonnegut's style: there's no pretense, no flash, no fanciness; just prose
The 21 "mock interviews" contained herein use a variety of personalities -- living and dead, common and famous -- to astutely show the complexity of what Vonnegut called his "disgust with civilization." But rather than feeling bitter or resentful, it's a rather beautiful exposition on life and existence.
Surely worth reading over and over again.
This book highlights what is so wonderful about Vonnegut's style: there's no pretense, no flash, no fanciness; just prose
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that's plain-spoken, clear, and remarkably incisive.The 21 "mock interviews" contained herein use a variety of personalities -- living and dead, common and famous -- to astutely show the complexity of what Vonnegut called his "disgust with civilization." But rather than feeling bitter or resentful, it's a rather beautiful exposition on life and existence.
Surely worth reading over and over again.
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LibraryThing member the_awesome_opossum
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian is a very, very short book consisting of fictional interviews of dead people by Vonnegut. It was a neat idea, adapted from short interludes meant for radio, and I especially enjoyed his interviews with Hitler and Mary Shelley. My only regret is that the book wasn't
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*longer*! Show Less
LibraryThing member bdamokos
This maybe the shortest Vonnegut book yet (in par with A man without a country).
It contains short stories each about a 1-2 pages long portraying the authors visit to meet the dead.
Though I am a fan of Vonnegut I didn't really like this one. It contains many references to contemporary events (e.g.
It contains short stories each about a 1-2 pages long portraying the authors visit to meet the dead.
Though I am a fan of Vonnegut I didn't really like this one. It contains many references to contemporary events (e.g.
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Kevorkian being a doctor who killed his patients), which makes it harder to enjoy if you are not familiar with the events. Show Less
LibraryThing member -AlyssaE-
I love this book. I think that it was the first Vonnegut book that i had read. I love his near death experiences, and how he talks to people in the afterlife. Its just a very interesting way to think about things and how he is writing this book. It's a very short and easy read, but also makes you
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think why is he writing this. Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
A quirky little book by a master storyteller. The premise is unique: the author inveighs upon Dr. Kevorkian to kill him, he goes to heaven and meets characters from history, and then the good doctor resuscitates him. He makes the trip multiple times, weaving all sorts of stories into a tapestry of
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politics, history, and literature. My favorite was the visit with Mary Shelley. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimnightshade
super fun concept, could of/should of been developed more, and maybe made longer, i'd say. but still a great read-- for the half an hour that it lasted.
LibraryThing member rachelbrandfire
exceptionally short. i finished in less than an hour. it has the usual vonnegut wit but none of the substance. but i still recommend it if you like the author or if you are waiting at the bus stop. it's better than a magazine.
LibraryThing member jeffjardine
It's OK, but there just isn't enough material here to warrant a book. It should have been included in a larger collection.
LibraryThing member brleach
Somewhat entertaining, but very short and shallow. To be translated effectively from the medium of radio to the medium of books, I think the story needed to be significantly elaborated.
LibraryThing member hopeevey
Good, sometimes biting, interviews but probably better narrated than read.
LibraryThing member Pepperwings
Vonnegut takes a stab at gonzo journalism.
I haven't read a lot of Vonnegut, I'm working on changing that, but two of his books now seem to put himself in as a character, not just first person, but really from his perspective. I'm curious if this is one of his normal devices, or I just picked
Maybe the goal is to make you wonder if it's non-fiction rather than fiction--just that little bit of doubt!
Anyway, gonzo journalism-style, he has Dr. Kevorkian help him have near-death experiences, with the intent of interviewing dead people. Some are famous dead people, some are just dead with interesting stories.
This winds up being more cute than morbid, and it was fun.
I haven't read a lot of Vonnegut, I'm working on changing that, but two of his books now seem to put himself in as a character, not just first person, but really from his perspective. I'm curious if this is one of his normal devices, or I just picked
Show More
two.Maybe the goal is to make you wonder if it's non-fiction rather than fiction--just that little bit of doubt!
Anyway, gonzo journalism-style, he has Dr. Kevorkian help him have near-death experiences, with the intent of interviewing dead people. Some are famous dead people, some are just dead with interesting stories.
This winds up being more cute than morbid, and it was fun.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bdgamer
It's an excellent collection of fictional interviews that end as soon as they begin. Vonnegut's trademark humor seeps through every word and it's a very fun, although short, read. Can't recommend enough, especially if you're a Humanist (oops... humanist).
LibraryThing member RickGeissal
Tiny book that is fun.
LibraryThing member Matt_Sessions
A fast and often brilliant novella from a master story-teller, GOD BLESS YOU, DR. KEVORKIAN unfolds in a series of vignettes. The subject matter is life, death, and what comes before and after each, delivered to the narrator -- Vonnegut himself -- by deceased historical figures. Like other Vonnegut
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work, this book is poignant, elegant, and bursting with wise humor. Vonnegut is never one to waste words, and his compactness here is more pronounced than usual, allowing for rapid-fire bursts of philosophy. Sometimes this compression works against the material, making interactions seem fleeting and occasionally negating their impact. Fortunately, these detractions occur infrequently, making GOD BLESS YOU, DR. KEVORKIAN a fast, excellent read. Show Less
LibraryThing member fuzzy_patters
This is a humorous look at the after life and near death experiences from someone who believed in neither. The people he encounters were real people, which added to my enjoyment reading it because I ended up Googling a lot of them and learning about their lives.
Subjects
Original publication date
1999
Other editions
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Paperback)