The Brothers Vonnegut: Science and Fiction in the House of Magic

Ginger Strand

ISBN 10: 0374117012 / ISBN 13: 9780374117016

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374117012I4N00

Synopsis:

Worlds collide in this true story of weather control in the Cold War era and the making of Kurt Vonnegut

In the mid-1950s, Kurt Vonnegut takes a job in the PR department at General Electric in Schenectady, where his older brother, Bernard, is a leading scientist in its research lab--or "House of Magic." Kurt has ambitions as a novelist, and Bernard is working on a series of cutting-edge weather-control experiments meant to make deserts bloom and farmers flourish.

While Kurt writes zippy press releases, Bernard builds silver-iodide generators and attacks clouds with dry ice. His experiments attract the attention of the government; weather proved a decisive factor in World War II, and if the military can control the clouds, fog, and snow, they can fly more bombing missions. Maybe weather will even be the "New Super Weapon." But when the army takes charge of his cloud-seeding project (dubbed Project Cirrus), Bernard begins to have misgivings about the harmful uses of his inventions, not to mention the evidence that they are causing alarming changes in the atmosphere.

In a fascinating cultural history, Ginger Strand chronicles the intersection of these brothers' lives at a time when the possibilities of science seemed infinite. As the Cold War looms, Bernard's struggle for integrity plays out in Kurt's evolving writing style. The Brothers Vonnegut reveals how science's ability to influence the natural world also influenced one of our most inventive novelists.

About the Author:

Ginger Strand is the author of three previous books, including Killer on the Road: Violence and the American Interstate. She has written for a wide variety of publications, including Harper's Magazine, This Land, The Believer, Tin House, The New York Times, and Orion, where she is a contributing editor.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Brothers Vonnegut: Science and Fiction ...
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: 2015
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket