The horrible sins of the 20th century were confronted in "a desperate, terribly honest endeavour." ?Time one of the 100 greatest books ever chosen by the Modern Library One of the best antiwar books ever written is the American classic Slaughterhouse-Five. The book, which centres on the notorious World War II firebombing of Dresden, is the product of what author Kurt Vonnegut claims was a 23-year effort to write a book about what he personally experienced as an American prisoner of war. An narrative of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber's son who was abducted by aliens after being drafted, humour, historical fiction, and satire are all incorporated. Billy, like Vonnegut, witnesses Dresden's devastation while he is a prisoner of war, and like Vonnegut, it is the defining moment of his life. Unlike the author, he also experiences time travel, or coming ?unstuck in time.? Billy Pilgrim?s odyssey reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.Praise for Slaughterhouse-Five?Poignant and hilarious, threaded with compassion and, behind everything, the cataract of a thundering moral statement.?