Chapter 1 Summary

Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but literally unknown science fiction writer who lives in Cohoes, New York, during 1972 and makes his living by installing aluminum window frames. Kilgore has published countless manuscripts and novels, principally as filler material for pornographic magazines and books. He lives in America and learned in school that America was discovered in 1492, established and maintained through superior weaponry, and practiced slavery. Kilgore is dirt poor and thinks that Americans are greedy.

Dwayne Hoover is a car salesman in Midland City. He is fabulously wealthy and is largely a self-made man. Dwayne owns huge portions of Midland City and owns all or parts of most of the city's businesses. Dwayne, however, is chemically imbalanced and is slowly going insane. One day Dwayne will read a novel by Kilgore Trout which will convince Dwayne that he is the only thinking...