I adore Kurt Vonnegut. I share a great deal of his personal philosophy (as I've been able to glean it from his writing), and it turns out that I share much of his politics as well. In spite of the dire subject matter here (in large part modern politics and the "war on terror"), Vonnegut manages to make me laugh in nearly every paragraph. His writing is absolutely masterful — there are few if any writers alive today who can match his seeming simplicity while packing in such wry insight. Mark Twain is a possible historical comparison. Absolutely brilliant.