In the Autumn of 1973, English teacher Bruce Severy ordered Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five for use in one of his classes in Drake, North Dakota. On 7 November, on orders from the Board of Education, Mrs. Sheldon Summers, school custodian, burned 32 copies of the book because the Board members had decided that it was pornographic. After reading a brief article in the New York Times on the incident (16 November 1973), Vonnegut wrote to Charles McCarthy (head of the Drake Board of Education). His letter … presents an unsual approach to censorship, it illuminates a feature of Vonnegut's character that many readers overlook when reading his books: his moral intent. (p. 631)
[The following quote is from Vonnegut's letter:]
This is a free excerpt of 119 words. There are 645 words (approx.
2 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. 1922–: Critical Essay by Richard E. Ziegfeld Access Pass.
