Millions of fans mourned the death of author Kurt Vonnegut who died last Wednesday at age 84 from complications from a fall he suffered weeks ago. Vonnegut is well-known for his satirical and absurdist works. He liked to combine literature with science fiction as he did with Slaughterhouse-Five, his most famous work and a very important piece of American literature.

Read or re-read Vonnegut. Available now at Booktopia:

Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkey House, Mother Night, Galapagos, Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More!, Bluebeard, Player Piano, Jailbir, Deadeye Dick, Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons.

Incidentally, back when e-mail was fairly new to most, a message that started with “Wear sunscreen” was credited to Vonnegut as a commencement address he gave to the graduating class of MIT. Though funny and well-written, it was not Vonnegut. What did go around the internet later on as the story of a soldier who goes AWOL to woo his childhood friend from the man she was to marry is a story from Welcome to the Monkey House. It’s the kind of story that will make you want to read more from Vonnegut. Search the internet for Kurt Vonnegut’s wonderful story, A Long Walk to Forever.