Trout’s face was a home-town alley,
a prisoner of war.

“You think money grows on trees?”

Twenty-dollar bills for leaves.
Flowers were government bonds.
Fruit was diamonds.

Human beings made good fertilizer.

It’s appropriate for me to kick-off this blog with Vonnegut’s classic, “Slaughterhouse Five.” I was introduced to the book as a bored 10th grader by my English teacher. The moment Mr. Anderson suggested I read Vonnegut was one of the few academic experiences I had in high school that retain any lasting meaning for me. Here on page 143, Vonnegut has Kilgore Trout, his alter-ego, talking to a group of paperboys (and, notably, one papergirl). There are many points being made, but one in particular, about human greed, stands out for me. –Andy Smallman