Review: 'Hocus Pocus' by Kurt Vonnegut
- Caroline Selby
- Dec 16, 2019
- 1 min read
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of Eugene Debs Hartke, an ex-Vietnam officer who continually states that he has killed the same amount of people that he has slept with. The story largely recounts the overthrowing of the prison that Eugene works in teaching prisoners to read and write. The mostly black prison inmates attempt to escape and form a free independent republic of former prisoners in the small college town adjacent to the prison, but unsuccessfully, and at the downfall of Eugene.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is no doubt that I love Vonnegut’s writing. He is my favorite author, as well as my favorite human (to ever exist). Vonnegut portrays a grim version of the future, juxtaposed through the college for the wealthy and the prison for impoverished and uneducated minorities directly across the lake. Vonnegut gives new meaning to the term “body count,” with Eugene having killed the same number of people he has slept with, and the actual number not being disclosed until the book’s ending. This book is my 10th one by Vonnegut, and I must say, I truly love him more and more with each story I read. I definitely recommend this read, whether you are a Vonnegut fan or not!
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