And So It Goes

“Vonnegut’s life was a fascinating tragicomedy worthy of his best novels . . . A superbly researched and above all very entertaining biography.” —Blake Bailey, New York Times–bestselling author of Philip Roth: The Biography

A New York Times Notable Book

A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book

In 2006, Charles Shields reached out to Kurt Vonnegut in a letter, asking for his endorsement for a planned biography. The first response was no (“A most respectful demurring by me for the excellent writer Charles J. Shields, who offered to be my biographer”). Propelled by a passion for his subject, and already deep into his research, Shields wrote again and this time, to his delight, the answer came back: “O.K.” For the next year—which ended up being Vonnegut’s last—Shields had access to Vonnegut and his letters. After four additional years of research and writing, And So It Goes is “the first truly exacting look into the life of a man who has fascinated so many” (Esquire).

“An incisive, gossipy page-turner of a biography.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“A triumphant biography . . . From his harrowing survival of the Dresden firebombing through forty years of culture clashes and domestic battles, here is the Vonnegut we all thought we knew and the man we never got to see, a writer of searing wit and wisdom, of driving ambition, and perhaps most of all, of aching loneliness.” —Jess Walter, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins

“An engaging, surprising and empathetic page-turner.” —Deirdre Donahue, USA Today

“Adroit literary analysis that highlights obscure or overlooked influences on Vonnegut . . . . With access to more than 1,500 letters, Shields conducted hundreds of interviews to produce this engrossing, definitive biography.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)