This month's pick is a book that was banned at some point.
About 4 years ago, I bought Slaughterhouse-Five on impulse at Target (I promise I don't buy all my books at Target. Note to self, don't read something from Target next month.) Ever since then it has been living in my "to-read" pile. It has moved with me when I got married, been at the top and bottom of the stack, almost donated, and finally this month I picked it up to read.
After double checking to make sure it was banned, I cracked it open and plowed through the tiny Vonnegut book. After two sessions I was done.
And I was... underwhelmed.
After all the things I read about why this book was banned I was expecting this gruesome, action packed, violent, inappropriate war novel. Instead I got aliens. Totally not what I expected.
Maybe it's because I live in 2016 and not in the sheltered 1969 world that the book was written in (although people are obviously still trying to ban it), but it definitely wasn't the most disturbing thing I've ever read.
Yes, it is a good (and probably one of the first) depiction of PTSD and how it affects those who are in combat.
I think I just had too many preconcieved notions about what to expect (especially since I read that Atlantic article first), but I wasn't blown away by any aspect of Slaugherhouse-Five. I do feel accomplished in the fact that the book is no longer living in my "to-read" stack anymore, though.
Better luck in book choice next month, I guess.
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