Vonnegut

I don't usually mourn the deaths of famous people, even the ones whose work I really enjoy, simply because I don't know them. I always figure I'll miss their work in the world, but leave the mourning for their friends and family. I think I might rescind that policy temporarily for Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut, to me, was more than just a writer who I liked. The first book I ever read on my own, without anyone prompting me, was Cat's Cradle, after which I read almost nothing but Vonnegut for about two years. At a time in my life when I was still forming a lot of my ideas about politics and humanity, his books gave me a great deal to chew on. I'm genuinely sad to have read that he's gone.