08/23/2021
Kurt Vonnegut’s classic 1969 novel Slaughterhouse-Five “is the rare, true war story,” according to this colorful debut from journalist Roston. Delving into the personal and creative process that created the novel, Roston explores the extent that Vonnegut’s experiences as a prisoner of war during the bombing of Dresden in WWII affected his life and writing—though Vonnegut denied any lasting traumatic effects, Roston wonders whether Slaughterhouse-Five may point toward undiagnosed PTSD. To that end, he digs through previous drafts of the novel in which Vonnegut worried he was being too “condemning of war,” and recounts anecdotes from those close to Vonnegut, including Bernard O’Hare, a war buddy of Vonnegut’s who’s featured in the first chapter of Slaughterhouse-Five . The work of psychologists, writers, and scholars also help Roston piece together a working definition and history of PTSD to see what it can reveal about the novel and its main character, Billy Pilgrim. Regardless of Vonnegut’s own mental state, Roston writes, “the novel resonates today as a metaphor for PTSD.” While Roston can occasionally go on tangents, his passion for Vonnegut’s writing is contagious. Vonnegut’s fans will find in this survey a fresh take on a classic. (Oct.)
"A stark reminder of Vonnegut’s uneasy position with contemporary liberalism"
The American Conservative Magazine
A book about time; or, put another way, a book about how Pilgrim (and Vonnegut) became unstuck in time and how this 'unsticking' created ‘Slaughterhouse-Five'... Roston [casts] himself as part literary scholar and part psychoanalytic sleuth.
The best thing that Roston does...is to give context to the question of whether Slaughterhouse-Five is an autobiographical portrait of Vonnegut’s own war trauma. Roston writes in depth about the novel itself and how it came to be written... Roston also provides a history of war trauma and how our understanding of it has evolved over the years.
Part biography, part literary interpretation, and part fan notes, The Writer's Crusade is a spellbinding reexamination of both Slaughterhouse-Five and its author, Kurt Vonnegut. Although the emphasis of this marvelous book is on PTSD, Tom Roston never loses sight of the intuitive, imaginative genius of a boldly original prose stylist. Any Vonnegut enthusiast, and anyone interested in the sources of fine literature, will find pleasure in these pages.
"I read Slaughterhouse-Five when I had just returned from my war in Vietnam. I didn't understand it until I read The Writer's Crusade . Tom Roston's insightful exploration of Vonnegut's struggle to write the novel, and its significant place in our ongoing task of better understanding and treating the trauma of war should be read by all fans of Vonnegut, and all who suffer from trauma, no matter what the source.
I absolutely loved The Writer’s Crusade . As soon as I finished it, I picked up Slaughterhouse-Five again. Tom Roston’s excellent book has given me the great gift of getting to read Vonnegut’s masterpiece as though it were my first time.
[An] engrossing tale...an absorbing biographical study...Roston [makes] a strong case that the roots of the novel—and its ultimate message—stem from Vonnegut’s attempts to process all he had witnessed in the war.”
Kurt Vonnegut’s dogged pursuit of the truth about his war experiences in writing what would become Slaughterhouse-Five is fully rendered in Tom Roston’s perfectly titled The Writer’s Crusade . In readable and probing prose, Roston illuminates Vonnegut as a veteran, writer, and human being, and investigates haunting questions about war and human nature. For anyone touched by war, Slaughterhouse-Five , or intrigued by the intersection of creativity with trauma and recovery, this superb book is for you.
The Writer's Crusade is a multifaceted look at one of the great modern novels. It’s part history of how the book came to be, part Vonnegut biography, and a thoughtful consideration of the book’s impact on America’s post-WWII combat vets...The Writer’s Crusade is an important consideration of Kurt Vonnegut and the legacy of Slaughterhouse-Five . Even better, Roston’s work will send readers back to the original novel, and with fresh new insights on Vonnegut’s complex masterpiece.
New York Journal of Books
Mr. Roston gives the reader a book that encompasses many things — simultaneously biography, literary analysis, an inquiry into the creative process, and a concise history of the perception and recognition of war trauma and the development of the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder. He writes with informed insight as well as wit, and his tone is light and engaging despite the seriousness of the subject.... ‘The Writer's Crusade’ provides a thoughtful head start for a renewed appreciation of the author and his best-known work.”
A book about time; or, put another way, a book about how Pilgrim (and Vonnegut) became unstuck in time and how this 'unsticking' created ‘Slaughterhouse-Five'... Roston [casts] himself as part literary scholar and part psychoanalytic sleuth.”—The Washington Post Kirkus Reviews The Writer's Crusade is a spellbinding reexamination of both Slaughterhouse-Five and its author, Kurt Vonnegut. Although the emphasis of this marvelous book is on PTSD, Tom Roston never loses sight of the intuitive, imaginative genius of a boldly original prose stylist. Any Vonnegut enthusiast, and anyone interested in the sources of fine literature, will find pleasure in these pages.”—Tim O’Brien Bookpage Publishers Weekly The Writer's Crusade is a multifaceted look at one of the great modern novels. It’s part history of how the book came to be, part Vonnegut biography, and a thoughtful consideration of the book’s impact on America’s post-WWII combat vets...The Writer’s Crusade is an important consideration of Kurt Vonnegut and the legacy of Slaughterhouse-Five . Even better, Roston’s work will send readers back to the original novel, and with fresh new insights on Vonnegut’s complex masterpiece.”—New York Journal of Books East Hampton Star The American Conservative Magazine Slaughterhouse-Five is fully rendered in Tom Roston’s perfectly titled The Writer’s Crusade . In readable and probing prose, Roston illuminates Vonnegut as a veteran, writer, and human being, and investigates haunting questions about war and human nature. For anyone touched by war, Slaughterhouse-Five , or intrigued by the intersection of creativity with trauma and recovery, this superb book is for you.”—Suzanne McConnell, coauthor, with Kurt Vonnegut, of Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style Slaughterhouse-Five when I had just returned from my war in Vietnam. I didn't understand it until I read The Writer's Crusade . Tom Roston's insightful exploration of Vonnegut's struggle to write the novel, and its significant place in our ongoing task of better understanding and treating the trauma of war should be read by all fans of Vonnegut, and all who suffer from trauma, no matter what the source.”—Karl Marlantes The Writer’s Crusade . As soon as I finished it, I picked up Slaughterhouse-Five again. Tom Roston’s excellent book has given me the great gift of getting to read Vonnegut’s masterpiece as though it were my first time.” —Kevin Powers Slaughterhouse-Five is an autobiographical portrait of Vonnegut’s own war trauma. Roston writes in depth about the novel itself and how it came to be written... Roston also provides a history of war trauma and how our understanding of it has evolved over the years.”—The Millions
Part biography, part literary interpretation, and part fan notes, The Writer's Crusade is a spellbinding reexamination of both Slaughterhouse-Five and its author, Kurt Vonnegut. Although the emphasis of this marvelous book is on PTSD, Tom Roston never loses sight of the intuitive, imaginative genius of a boldly original prose stylist. Any Vonnegut enthusiast, and anyone interested in the sources of fine literature, will find pleasure in these pages.
2021-07-18
During World War II, Vonnegut was a prisoner of war and witness to the bombing of Dresden, which killed an estimated 25,000 civilians. That experience fueled one of his best-loved novels, which blended science fiction with a more conventional tale of war trauma. In interviews, the author could be hard to pin down about the book, sometimes underplaying the impact of his war experiences, sometimes snarky, sometimes openly candid about it. “In Dresden I saw a mountain of dead people,” he once said. “And that makes you thoughtful.” Veteran magazine journalist Roston attempts to engage with the novel and the author’s life to determine if Vonnegut suffered from what we would now call PTSD. He recognizes this as something of a fool’s errand; Vonnegut’s son Mark believes he did, but the novel resists such simple interpretation, being so multivalent and written over nearly a quarter-century. Still, Roston’s efforts are fruitful. He explores how the nature of war trauma has changed in the past century, with special attention to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who’ve channeled their experiences into fiction. Matthew Mellina, one writer/vet with PTSD, was so struck by Vonnegut’s conceit of the novel’s hero, Billy Pilgrim, being “unstuck” that he had the word tattooed on his arm. Roston’s byways into PTSD history and other writers' work can sometimes draw him a fair distance from Vonnegut, and the book’s central question remains unresolved. But he successfully reenergizes a major work from a writer whose star has faded somewhat. New wars, and more recent fiction about them, may have overshadowed Slaughterhouse-Five , but Roston persuasively shows how the novel speaks both to Vonnegut’s moment and to our own.
A rangy, occasionally rambling portrait of one of our stranger, more enduring war novels.
Narrator Jim Frangione's voice carries an authoritative yet weary weight appropriate for capturing Vonnegut's journey from WWII veteran to renowned author. Roston's audiobook starts with the stunning claim that Vonnegut may have sought to kill his Nazi captors after the war. While Roston dismisses this rumor, his research of Vonnegut's life reveals a naturally skilled writer finding a foothold in the world while struggling with PTSD, a diagnosis that didn't exist at the time. In this way, the writing process that yielded his 1969 novel, SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE, may have served Vonnegut's need to make meaning from his war experience. Frangione's performance embraces Vonnegut's complicated story, guiding listeners with a reverent empathy for the author and his extraordinary experiences. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
