In 2006, Charles Shields published his monumental biography of Harper Lee, Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, to enormous approbation. Following the success of that book, he turned his attention to another of the great lions of 20th-Century American literature, Kurt Vonnegut. Learn how this award-winning author crafted his biography—the first ever of the reclusive Vonnegut—and learn more about the man who gave us Slaughterhouse Five.
And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life is the first and only complete life-story of Kurt Vonnegut, one of the most influential, controversial, and popular novelists of the 20th century. Millions know him as a counter-culture guru, anti-war activist, and satirist of American life. But few outside his family and friends knew the arc of his extraordinary life. He made friends easily, but always felt lonely; he sold millions of books, but never felt appreciated; he described himself as a humanist, but fought with humanity at large. As a former public relations man, he crafted his image carefully—the avuncular, curly-haired humorist—though admitting, "I myself am a work of fiction." This biography reveals the man who enchanted a generation.
