Fiction

Welcome to the Monkey House

Welcome to the Monkey House

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  • Create Date：2021-08-29 08:51:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
  • ISBN：1784877034
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Summary

A MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF TWENTY-FIVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE INIMITABLE AUTHOR OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5， KURT VONNEGUT

'Vonnegut is George Orwell， Dr Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer。。。a zany but moral mad scientist' Time

A diabolical government asserts control by eliminating orgasms。 A scientist discovers the secret to unlocking instant happiness， with unexpected consequences。 In an America where everyone is equal every which way， a tennage boy plans to overthrow the system。

Welcome to the Monkey House gathers together twenty-five of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the 1950s and 1960s。 Shot through with Vonnegut's singular humour， wit and bewilderment at humanity， this is a collection that celebrates a true master of short-form fiction。

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Reviews

Madison Giorgi ，

My favorite collection of short stories。 It gets better every time I read it。

Jeff Skott ，

KV was a writing godThere's no story that leaves you short。 Humanity and literary prowess wrapped up in science fiction and just plain oddities of the human condition that still ring true。 Worth the money， worth the time and now off to sleep。 KV was a writing godThere's no story that leaves you short。 Humanity and literary prowess wrapped up in science fiction and just plain oddities of the human condition that still ring true。 Worth the money， worth the time and now off to sleep。 。。。more

Abeb ，

This wasn't very good。 I'm not the target audience but the super-short story format isn't enjoyable to me。 This will probably be my last book before school starts。 This wasn't very good。 I'm not the target audience but the super-short story format isn't enjoyable to me。 This will probably be my last book before school starts。 。。。more

Erica Sage ，

I love short stories。 I love sci-fi and horror and twists， and this book has that。 It also has some meh stories。 But， overall， I love Vonnegut's brain and the way he challenges his reader about humanity and the future。 I love short stories。 I love sci-fi and horror and twists， and this book has that。 It also has some meh stories。 But， overall， I love Vonnegut's brain and the way he challenges his reader about humanity and the future。 。。。more

Jillian ，

DNF， read 46%。 I lost interest。 I also learned that I enjoyed Vonnegut as a teenager but think he’s boring now that I’m an adult。

Hatice ，

kitaba adını veren öykü hariç hepsi çok güzeldi gerçekten Kurt dedemin ellerine sağlık özellikle Bu Defa Kimim， Şahın Tüm Atları ve İnsanlı Füzeler çok hoşuma gitti

Bec Daniels ，

Some stories were better than others—my favorites were Who Am I this Time？ （a sweet and clever love story）， Welcome to the Monkey House （sci fi thriller-esque futuristic adventure）， Next Door （fun character study）， the Euphio Question （another sci fun piece that explores what would happen if happiness could be sold）， Unready to Wear （explores the moral problems if humans could evolve into fish）， the Kid Nobody Could Handle （a nostalgic rebel story）， the Manned Missiles （Russia vs US dialogue）， E Some stories were better than others—my favorites were Who Am I this Time？ （a sweet and clever love story）， Welcome to the Monkey House （sci fi thriller-esque futuristic adventure）， Next Door （fun character study）， the Euphio Question （another sci fun piece that explores what would happen if happiness could be sold）， Unready to Wear （explores the moral problems if humans could evolve into fish）， the Kid Nobody Could Handle （a nostalgic rebel story）， the Manned Missiles （Russia vs US dialogue）， EPICAC （robot x human love）， and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow （explores the physical and moral realities of extending human life）。 The others aren’t worth reading in my opinion。 。。。more

Mike ，

Welcome To The Monkey House is only my second Vonnegut book （alongside Breakfast of Champions） and I've quickly come to love the voice he uses for storytelling。 The short stories in this collection don't always work for me in the end， but with each one I am pulled in and looking forward to where Vonnegut will take me next。 For me， so far， this is all about the journey and I have loved the ride so far。 Welcome To The Monkey House is only my second Vonnegut book （alongside Breakfast of Champions） and I've quickly come to love the voice he uses for storytelling。 The short stories in this collection don't always work for me in the end， but with each one I am pulled in and looking forward to where Vonnegut will take me next。 For me， so far， this is all about the journey and I have loved the ride so far。 。。。more

Mark Fallon ，

A perfect weekend activity is reading short stories by my favorite author - a curmudgeon who held little hope for mankind， while also a hopeless romantic who never gave up on love。

Nick ，

A decent beach read。 A swift collection of short stories—some real novelties， some that have a veneer of banality。

Rebecca Davis ，

Unready to Wear: "The mind is the only thing about human beings that's worth anything。 Why does it have to be tied to a bag of skin， blood， hair， meat， bones and tubes？ No wonder people can't get anything done， stuck for life with a parasite that has to be stuffed with food and protected from weather and germs all the time。 And the fool thing wears out anyway--no matter how much you stuff and protect it！"Unready to Wear: "But the best part was that Konigswasser didn't have to sleep anymore， just Unready to Wear: "The mind is the only thing about human beings that's worth anything。 Why does it have to be tied to a bag of skin， blood， hair， meat， bones and tubes？ No wonder people can't get anything done， stuck for life with a parasite that has to be stuffed with food and protected from weather and germs all the time。 And the fool thing wears out anyway--no matter how much you stuff and protect it！"Unready to Wear: "But the best part was that Konigswasser didn't have to sleep anymore， just because it had to sleep; or be afraid anymore， just because it thought that it might be hurt; or go looking for things it seemed to think it ought to have。 And， when it didn't feel well， Konigswasser kept out of it until it felt better， and he didn't have to spend a fortune keeping the thing comfortable。"The Manned Missiles: "Hazel says Bud was dignified。 Man and boy， that's what he was--straight and serious and polite and pretty much alone。" 。。。more

Sharity ，

Only read Harrison Bergeron ， Welcome to the Monkey House， All the King’s Horses， Deer in the Works and I never expected to like it that much。 Great satiric commentary on human nature and post-war society。

sasha ，

I don’t normally enjoy short story collections， but “Welcome to the Monkey House” was an exception！ I was pulled into the world each story takes place in from the first line — the characters are each so carefully crafted and the abstract settings they inhabit are imaginative and intriguing。 I’d previously read （and loved） “God Bless You， Mr。 Rosewater，” but “Welcome to the Monkey House” made me absolutely love Vonnegut’s witty writing style and thought-provoking premises。 This is definitely one I don’t normally enjoy short story collections， but “Welcome to the Monkey House” was an exception！ I was pulled into the world each story takes place in from the first line — the characters are each so carefully crafted and the abstract settings they inhabit are imaginative and intriguing。 I’d previously read （and loved） “God Bless You， Mr。 Rosewater，” but “Welcome to the Monkey House” made me absolutely love Vonnegut’s witty writing style and thought-provoking premises。 This is definitely one I’ll be taking to college with me and re-reading！ 。。。more

Ob-jonny ，

Fantastic collection of short stories。 I thought they were more upbeat than most short story collections。 It's better to have a good feeling after reading something。 I think this is due to the vintage， 1960s era when these were written。 There were many imaginative ideas of the distant future contained in this collection。 Fantastic collection of short stories。 I thought they were more upbeat than most short story collections。 It's better to have a good feeling after reading something。 I think this is due to the vintage， 1960s era when these were written。 There were many imaginative ideas of the distant future contained in this collection。 。。。more

Ryan Chang ，

Harrison BergeronTom Edison's Shaggy DogReport on The Barnhouse EffectThe Euphio QuestionDeer in the WorksThe Manned Missiles I liked。The other 19 stories range from ok to boring Harrison BergeronTom Edison's Shaggy DogReport on The Barnhouse EffectThe Euphio QuestionDeer in the WorksThe Manned Missiles I liked。The other 19 stories range from ok to boring 。。。more

whitney ，

boring。 “who am i this time？” and “epicac” were the best stories

Jeff B。 ，

Kurt Vonnegut is， without a doubt， my favorite writer。 I read this one the first time almost 30 years ago and it was the only short story collection he had out at the time。 Short story collections are hard to review as some stories grab you and others don't。 For my 2021 re-read of the all the Vonnegut， I give it 3-stars。 I plan to return to this review after I read the rest of his short story collections， which mostly came out posthumously， to let you know which collections are the better ones。 Kurt Vonnegut is， without a doubt， my favorite writer。 I read this one the first time almost 30 years ago and it was the only short story collection he had out at the time。 Short story collections are hard to review as some stories grab you and others don't。 For my 2021 re-read of the all the Vonnegut， I give it 3-stars。 I plan to return to this review after I read the rest of his short story collections， which mostly came out posthumously， to let you know which collections are the better ones。 I also reserve the right to bump this review up。 Here are my thoughts:1。 When I first read this， I just took Vonnegut as a monolith of great writing。 Now I see that he had different eras and different themes and evolved over time。 This is his early stuff - published between 1951 and 1968 - and it shows。 I wouldn't be surprised if some of these stories were written years before they were published。 Most of this stuff feels closer to Player Piano （1952） than Sirens of Titan （1959）。2。 This material feels a bit dated， both in references and mindset。 There are a couple of references to Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis and President JFK makes an appearance in a story， to name a couple of older references that younger reader might not get。 There's also a layer of Misogyny that seems prevalent throughout， with the title story having the hero committing a rape。3。 There are 25 stories included in this book， so there's a lot here。 There are a couple stories that explore the idea of people becoming immortal and the overpopulation that results。 There are a couple of stories about lonely young men that get the girl。 I assume that these were popular with young men。My 10 favorite stories from this book:Harrison Bergeron - This is probably the most famous story included。 I think I read this in school and they even made a movie about this one with Sean Austin。 Whenever I talk about Vonnegut， Republicans like to mention this story。 I think a conservative Supreme Court decision denying special accommodations to handicapped people （to Kurt's chagrin）。 It's still a great story。Who Am I This Time？ - Shows a glimmer of what's to come in Kurt's writing。 This one is about a guy who personality is tied to the part he is playing。Welcome to the Monkey House - Kind of Rapey， but has interesting ideas about how society tries to deal with overpopulation once we're all immortal。The Foster Portfolio A great story about the motivations of a man to live a humble life。Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog - This one is silly and funny and sweet。 It's not what you think of when you think of Vonnegut， but it worked for me。More Stately Mansions - This one feels more mature。 About people who live in their own reality。Report on the Barnhouse Effect - This one is a power fantasy for peace。 Very engaging。The Euphio Question - When you can get happiness by the megawatt， what else matters。 Presumably， Kurt's take on drugs。EPICAC - As later seen in Player Piano。 About a computer who helps win the love of a woman， but who really won the love？Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Another story about immortality and with all the resources used up， they're hoping for grandpa to die just so they can get a bit more space。Those are my 10 favs from this book， but other people love some of the stories that I didn't care for， so skip a story at your own peril。 。。。more

Adam ，

a 25% hit rate on this one， imho

Britt-Marie ，

"Dystopian and hilarious"--some more so than others。 "Dystopian and hilarious"--some more so than others。 。。。more

Brooks Langford ，

You could feel the true Vonnegut that we all know trying to come through in a few of these short stories。 Some were good some just were okay。 I don’t think I’ll be wanting to read it again but you can see the ground work for what he is going to go on to do in some of his future works here。

Ben S ，

4。5 starsstarting to think i like vonnegut more as a humanist and even a romantic than a satirist。

Scott ，

Perfect summer book。 It’s a collection of short stories。 Very funny， my kind of humor。 Yet thought provoking。

Alaina ，

Jr。 had me hooked from Chapter One。

Vince ，

This is weird。 I gave this two stars because I didn't like the initial stories but the more I pushed through， the more I enjoyed it。 So it goes。 I didn't love all of the stories but I find this book to be a great collection showcasing Vonnegut in his younger years。 This is weird。 I gave this two stars because I didn't like the initial stories but the more I pushed through， the more I enjoyed it。 So it goes。 I didn't love all of the stories but I find this book to be a great collection showcasing Vonnegut in his younger years。 。。。more

Willy Walsh ，

At last everyone was really equal。 He reads like a prophet now。

Kai Wood ，

This will likely be the only Vonnegut novel I rate lower than a 5。 I’m not super crazy about short stories。 And the collection here is a pretty mixed bag。 Not going to in depth on anything here。 I’ll just list my favorites:• Welcome To the Monkey House• All The Kings Horses• Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog （a real standout）• New Dictionary• Report On the Barnhouse Effect （another standout）• The Euphio Question （the last standout）• Epicac

ash 💫 ，

enjoyed these short stories。 some i liked more than others of course， but generally this was a great read。 looking forward to when i loop back around to make my way through his novels

Mike Babb ，

As a collection of short stories， some were a hit for me and some were a miss。 There is a wide range of themes and ideas that feel way ahead of their time， some larger in scale and some a bit more romantic of a time and feeling。 The ideas all get across very well without the need for a several-hundred page novel to communicate it， which I appreciate。 Ethics in an overpopulated future seem to be a major theme throughout most of the stories， and I think it is done effectively ， especially consider As a collection of short stories， some were a hit for me and some were a miss。 There is a wide range of themes and ideas that feel way ahead of their time， some larger in scale and some a bit more romantic of a time and feeling。 The ideas all get across very well without the need for a several-hundred page novel to communicate it， which I appreciate。 Ethics in an overpopulated future seem to be a major theme throughout most of the stories， and I think it is done effectively ， especially considering its age and length。 I particularly liked “Unready to Wear”， “Report on the Barnhouse Effect”， and the general idea of “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” as well。I enjoyed most aspects from the title story “Welcome to the Monkey House”， but I double-taked and questioned everything I was reading over the story’s use of sexual assault。 At first I thought I read it wrong， or maybe missed it for being an analogy， but I truly can’t find a way to interpret it without seeing it as gross neglect of women’s agency of their own sexuality- even in the context of the hilariously satirical “ethical birth control pills”。 Even assuming the best intentions for its meaning， it could have been done without uplifting patriarchal ideas of the time and portraying that as justified， necessary， and the voice of reason of the story。 It left a deep wound in how I view one of my favorite authors。 。。。more

Mauricio Ortega Flores ，

te ano

James Ammirato ，

3。5 stars— Always fun to read a writer’s work from before their prime。 Some of these really dragged， but his influence is unquestionable。favorite stories: harrison bergeron， the euphio question， the manned missiles

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Welcome to the Monkey House

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Welcome to the Monkey House&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Welcome to the Monkey House&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0