Writing Mother Night

[Semjaza]

I've really not read for enjoyment in a very long time. High School, Senior year in particular, pretty much managed to make books one of my many kryptonites. I still get enough reading in through other methods, but I rarely just pick up a novel anymore.

Anyway, I somehow was in a book club Senior year and the teacher would provide us with free books. One of these was [U]Mother Night[/U], by Kurt Vonnegut. Like all the other books in the club, I just set it to the side and never read it. I was there for the free brownies, honestly.

I was in AP English, but the English class just below us read a few Vonnegut books. Mine didn't. I never had any real exposure to the guy, although I could name a few titles of his if I had to. I knew [I]of [/I]him, but that's about it.

So a few weeks ago I grabbed this book off my shelf for the first time and brought it with to my ultra-boring Environmental Science class. I held it behind the table and read it. I was totally engrossed in it that entire time. I'm still pretty amazed how much it removed me from the class considering the teacher was blabbing the whole time.

To put it simply, the book is about a man who more or less pretended to be a Nazi during World War II for his country. However, there was no real proof that he wasn't one (other than his contacts who disappeared almost instantly after contact and used phony names), so he was hunted out following the war by various groups. It basically tells how he went about things prior to him finally turning himself in.

It's told in the first person and is written almost like a journal. I really loved the writing style, honestly.

So I was just wondering if anyone else has ever read this book. It gets my seal of approval, which isn't too easy to get for a book anymore heh.

[Mitch]

[size=1][color=red]Is this book often just called [i]Night[/i]? If so, we're going to be reading it soon in my AP English Class.

From what you've said, this sounds like it's this book. The book we're going to read is about WWII. . .but then again, maybe it's just coincidence and I'm thinking of the wrong book.

Whatever the case, this book sounds good; I especially like how it's written in first person. I adore first person. First person is sexy, and a nice little guy.

Anyway, yeah. Thought I'd just post. . .for Tony's sanity's sake.[/size][/color]

[Semjaza]

I don't know if it's called anything else. I don't know why it would be, considering the full name is just one more short word lol.

It''s not really a book I'd think would be used in an AP class. I obviously love it, but it doesn't seem to be at the same level of books I had to read in AP English...

Even if you don't read it for class, pick it up. I've not even really read a book since Eenior year of high school and this still managed to get me interested.

[Brasil]

[QUOTE=Mitch][size=1][color=red]Is this book often just called [i]Night[/i]? If so, we're going to be reading it soon in my AP English Class.

From what you've said, this sounds like it's this book. The book we're going to read is about WWII. . .but then again, maybe it's just coincidence and I'm thinking of the wrong book. [/color][/size][/QUOTE]
Coincidence. [i]Night[/i] is written by Elie Wiesel, and it's a narrative of concentration camps in WWII.

Mother Night is one of many Vonnegut novels centered around some aspect of WWII. It's a remarkable work, really, like Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut is a master at giving us a conflicted character, sometimes giving that character some simply horrid and despised trait or personality, and grab us.

It presents an interesting spin on the entire conflict, really. Who in WWII was acting out of morals, and who was acting out of self-interest? This is one of the major questions we have concerning WWII; it's a major question we have of ourselves in day-to-day life.

I've heard the film adaptation of Mother Night is spectacular, as well. I've got it on DVD...I really should watch it one of these days.

[roymund]

I did read a goodly portion of Vonnegut's [i]Mother Night[/i] as well as Eli Wessel's [i]night[/i]. An additional reading that would compliemnt and flesh out worldwid stands and stances of judiasim during WW2 would be Chaim Potok's [i]The Chosen[/i] of Vilinkamph's [i]Tears of Abraham[/i] Unfortunatly the Tears of abraham bok was last printed in 1977, but a similar book was recently re relased titled [i]The Last Time I saw Parris[/i] by Elliot Paul.