Review: 'If This Isn't Nice, What Is?' by Kurt Vonnegut

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

'If This Isn't Nice, What Is?' by Kurt Vonnegut, 232 pages - Instagram @c_reads_books

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If This Isn’t Nice, What Is? contains 18 speeches given by Kurt Vonnegut, which are selected and introduced by his friend and fellow novelist Dan Wakefield. Out of the 18 total speeches, 11 are graduation speeches, one was given to the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, one was given when Vonnegut received the Carl Sandburg Award, etc. Vonnegut became a favorite graduation speaker, despite having never actually graduated from college himself. What is unique about his speeches is that they all have similar messages, but are each told in a different way. Rather than just inserting the name of a college into a formulaic speech, Vonnegut told various anecdotes and gave advice in a way that always celebrated the young and their accomplishments and futures.

I absolutely loved this book of speeches. Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author, and I loved reading the advice and hope that he gave to college graduates. What I love about Vonnegut is that he is not only a great writer, but a great person as well. He was a humanist and urged people to have as many connections as possible and make a difference in their communities. Reading his speeches, it is clear that Vonnegut really cared about not only what he was saying, but who he was saying it to. Out of the 13 books I have read by Vonnegut thus far, I have never once been disappointed, and this book of speeches falls right in line. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, or just wants to hear some good life advice!