Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut's satirical novel follows a writer researching the atomic bomb who stumbles upon a substance that could destroy all life on Earth.
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Also by Kurt Vonnegut
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What you might want to know about Cat's Cradle
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A writer researching the day Hiroshima was bombed begins tracking the family of one of the bomb's makers. The trail leads to a tropical island, a homemade religion called Bokononism, and a substance called ice-nine.
No. Cat's Cradle is one of Vonnegut's shorter novels, written in 127 brief chapters with his signature dry, deadpan voice. Most readers find it quick and accessible despite its dark satirical premise about ice-nine and the end of the world.
Yes. Cat's Cradle has been challenged in American schools, often for language and what some objectors call religious skepticism. It remains widely taught in college literature courses.
Cat's Cradle was written by Kurt Vonnegut, published in 1963 by Delta Trade Paperbacks.
Cat's Cradle is 230 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Cat's Cradle takes most readers 3 to 5 hours to finish.
Cat's Cradle is a standalone novel by Kurt Vonnegut, not part of a series.
Cat's Cradle is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
