"What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?"

"Nothing."

Kurt Vonnegut passed away last night. I don't think it we should sit here and mourn his death, because we all know he wouldn't want any of that.

I don't care who you are, but at some point you probably read one of his books. If you haven't you should.

So real quick, my list of his best:

1.) Slaughterhouse Five- One of the few books in high school that I was forced to read that I have since read again (the others being Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises). The passage I always remember is Billy becoming unstuck in time and watching the war movie backwards.

2.) Mother Night- We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. Truer words have never been spoken.

3.) Cat's Cradle- It's not often when the fake religion of a calypso singer makes perfect sense.

4.) Sirens of Titan- There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia.

5.) Breakfast of Champions- Who doesn't love a full page drawing of a butthole?

So, godspeed Kurt. Say hi to the Tralfamadors when you see them.