Outside Text

I read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut for my outside text. It was originally published in 1969 by Delacorte Press, though the paperback version I have was published in 1999 by Dell Publishing.

The story is centered around Billy Pilgrim's experience as a POW who survived the fire-bombing of Dresden in 1945. That story is the main thread of the novel, while it jumps around to different points in Billy's life, including that of an alien abduction. Billy's experience at Dresden closely matches that of the author; Vonnegut purposely blurs the line between Billy's fictional story and real life.