Slaughterhouse Five (audiobook) by Kurt Vonnegut



I recommend hearing it as an audiobook

Originally published in 1969 in book form.
Published by Dh Audio in 1985.
Read by Jose Ferrer.
Duration: 5 cassette tapes
Unabridged.

I could add to the volumes of literary criticism that fills the reviews of Slaughterhouse Five, but what's the point of that?

Rather, I will recommend that you hear the book as an audiobook - the book's a stream of consciousness, disjointed approach works very well on tape. The reader shifts from one scene to another as easily as Billy Pilgrim does. The version I heard was not the one available here. Mine was narrated by Jose Ferrer and he did a wonderful job. Too bad Ferrer has passed on.

So it goes.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Slaughterhouse Five. 
Kurt Vonnegut


 Reviewed on February 3, 2005

Note: This book has been challenged multiple times over the last 50 years for sexual content, foul language and teaching principles contrary to the Bible. Amazingly, it has stayed on "banned books" lists for more than 50 years. At one point, it was referred to a prosecutor to see if the school was distributing pornography to students. The prosecutor said that it was "not in violation of criminal laws." See this site for more information.

Note: This book was put on book ban lists in Tennessee in multiple counties in 2025. The article has a searchable database because the list has more than 1,100 unique titles

To its credit, the Vonnegut Museum in Indianapolis has a history of sending free copies of Slaughterhouse-Five to students at schools where the book has been banned.

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