Jailbird

Jailbird is Kurt Vonnegut's 1979 fictional novel about a man recently released from a low security prison. In the typical Vonnegut fashion, the novel eschews the typical build to a climax and lets you know the outcome almost at the very beginning of the book. Nevertheless, it is quite engaging as it leads you through the strange journey of Walter Starbuck, who, after being released from prison, merely wishes to get a job and live in moderate contentment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The topic of Jailbird is mostly corporate America -- what runs our businesses behind the scenes and the human weaknesses that are bound to bring us back down from our capitalist high. The book makes references to specific persons, such as Howard Hughes, the crazy but powerful person who is never seen in public.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jailbird also features another appearance of Kilgore Trout, a fictionalized Theodore Sturgeon, who writes science fiction novels that no one reads.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kurt Vonnegut: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (born November 11, 1922) is an American novelist, satirist, and most recently, graphic artist....

1979: This page refers to the year 1979. For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song)....

Corporate America: Corporate America is an informal phrase describing the business world of the United States....