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Hocus Pocus
  
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Hocus Pocus (Hardcover)

by Kurt Vonnegut (Author) "My name is Eugene Debs Hartke, and I was born in 1940 ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Among the most original stylists in America today, Vonnegut vents his disgust and moral outrage with government and humanity and the entire universe in yet another scathing social/political/philosophical satire. Set in the year 2001, but jumping over the last half of the 20th century, Hocus Pocus takes on an absurdist's perspective of human history. Protagonist Eugene Debs Hartke, West Point graduate, Vietnam vet, college professor, educator of the disabled and the illiterate, is awaiting trial for a crime initially unspecified. Until this time, Hartke has diligently and good-naturedly participated in whatever was expected of him, including involvement in the evacuation of American personnel from Saigon. At one point, however, he calculates the remarkable fact that he has killed exactly as many people as he has had sex with, a coincidence that causes him to doubt his atheism. The narrative is composed of short takes in which Hartke's thoughts skip between the inconsequential and the profound, giving Vonnegut occasion to interject interesting tidbits of information, scientific and historical and otherwise. The cumulative power of the novel is considerable, revealing Vonnegut at his fanciful and playful best. First serial to Penthouse; BOMC selection; QPB featured alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Ingram

A small, exclusive college in upstate New York is nestled along the frozen shores of Lake Mohiga . . . and directly across from a maximum-security prison. The two institutions manage to coexist peacefully, until 10,000 prisoners break out and head directly for the college. "Sharp-toothed satire . . . absurd humor."--San Francisco Chronicle. HC: Putnam. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

46 Reviews
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4.2 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Vonnegut's Best, Mar 12 2004
By Nathaniel C. Bottorff (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Hocus Pocus (Paperback)
Easily my favorite work by Kurt, and I've read them all. Some I have forgotten, others are fond in my heart, but my mind remembers Hocus Pocus above all others. Whenever I'm in need of a book to occupy a week or two and nothing else is striking my fancy at the moment there are three or four book I always go back to and never grow tired of . . . Hocus Pocus is at the top of the list.

Just to give prespective on what other novels I like, my other top two favorite books of all time are Brave New World and Catch 22. Take that for what you will.

Peace

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Vonnegut, Jul 1 2004
By "dmbrooking" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hocus Pocus (Paperback)
This book is Vonnegut at his best. The story is narrated by the main character, Eugene Dabbs Hartke, discussing the twists and turns that his life has taken and goes on to answer the all important question of how many woman he has slept with in his life.

Coming with a large dose of irony, a big dose of satire and a helping of humor, it is close to perfection for Vonnegut.

I would not recommend that as an introduction to Vonnegut for I think it takes his style to an extreme that newcomers might not be used to. But anyone who is familiar with the Vonnegut way, this book is highly recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book (And refutation to some reviws), Jan 1 2004
This review is from: Hocus Pocus (Paperback)
Let me first tell you that this is by far one of Vonnegut's best. The social commentary that is diguised in the form of satire is rather tremendous and poignant. It has definitely an anti-war flavor to it, but it never overshadows the real substance of the author's witticism. It's a funny book, but not "hillarious" as the back cover of this volume attests. From a different point of view, it's a rather sad book if you understand the implications of the subject matter. A very good book and would recommend to any one interested in modern and post-modern American prose.

Refutations:

* Vonnegut is a post-modernist, which implies that the book (or any work of art) can and more likely be free of classical rigidity. So, complaining that he jumps back and forth through time and places is not a good criterion to undermine this work.

* Repudiating this work because of Vonnegut's anti-war passages is as unfair as doing the same for say, Hemingway, O'Brian, Dalai Lama.

* This is a quinteseential post-moder work, and as said above, it should and does not need to conform to the cannonical rules of plot flow, time flow, and characater development. You could even call this book a Cubist work due to its subdivisions within chapters.

* This book goes much more than just war. It goes into love, sex, selling of American enterprises (and hence America) to foreign investors, race, class consciousness, and the attempt to keep the status quo by those who are ver well-off.

* This book is completely well structured. Your could easily read just one chapter and be as happy as reading the whole book. The chapters are self-sufficient and self-contained. The further chapters are elaborations of thing, characters and bits from preceding chapters.

* This is a GOOD book!

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A dissappointment to Vonnegut fans
I'm a big Vonnegut fan. I love his writing style, his subtle humor, and most of all his commentary on the world we live in. Read more
Published on Jul 16 2003 by Sara Bennett

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great.
This is an entertaining book, but it is not an example of why Vonnegut is cannonized in modern american literature. Read more
Published on April 23 2003 by H. M. Tiddlywinks

3.0 out of 5 stars ANTIWAR POSTERBOY
In HOCUS POCUS Vonnegut presents the journal of Eugene Debs Hartke -atypical Vietnam Vet-Antiwar poster boy. Read more
Published on Mar 4 2003 by Worldreels

2.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Magical Trip to Prison?
Vonnegut has written many works that are justifiably praised, often laced with biting satire and normally an excellent insight into people and their surrounding society. Read more
Published on Nov 27 2002 by Patrick Shepherd

3.0 out of 5 stars I beg to differ?
In contrast to some of his other works I felt that Hocus Pocus didn't provide a good structure. It took me a good 100 pages to actually get into this book; the early part of the... Read more
Published on Jul 30 2002 by almndxeyez

5.0 out of 5 stars One of his finest books
At this stage in his career-1990, having already delivered several undisputed classics, Cat's Cradle, Slaughter-House 5, etc. Read more
Published on Oct 25 2001 by VoodooLord7

4.0 out of 5 stars One of his best.........
Hocus Pocus provides the typical Vonnegut parodies of everything society holds dear. It is extremely funny and has many memorable sarcastic gems. Read more
Published on Oct 15 2001 by R. J. Marsella

4.0 out of 5 stars lost in Vonnegut
I have read many of his novels and by now I am lost in his maze of words. I think he shows some attitudes of modern market society and makes fun of them. Read more
Published on Aug 22 2001 by Peter Timusk

5.0 out of 5 stars A model of insanity
Forget the plot for a second and all of the witty banter, the sheer layout of this novel is enough to make one laugh. Read more
Published on Aug 14 2001 by Jason P. Fanoe

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars
This book isn't Vonnegut's best, but it, along with "Bluebeard" and to a lesser extent "Timequake", shows that he is one of the few writers that after a long... Read more
Published on Aug 9 2001 by Jacob F. Lee

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