Slaughterhouse-Five, antiwar by , published in 1969. The , nonlinear work blends with historical facts, notably Vonnegut’s own experience as a in , Germany, during the of that city in early 1945. It is considered a modern-day classic. Summary In the novel’s opening chapter, Vonnegut mentions his time as a POW as well as his return to Dresden. He also discusses the process of writing the novel and is a minor character in the work. The next chapter introduces , who is “unstuck in time,” moving throughout his life randomly. Told in chronological order, his story begins with his birth in 1922. Later he is studying to be an optometrist when he is drafted during . He serves as a chaplain’s assistant and is at the , where he meets Roland Weary, a sadistic soldier who saves Billy’s life on several occasions, hoping to be seen as a hero. The two are captured, and, shortly before dying from , Weary blames his demise on Billy. The latter is transported as to Dresden, where he and other POWs are kept in a slaughterhouse. He survives the firebombing at Dresden. Billy is later freed and returns to the , where he suffers a nervous breakdown. Following his recovery, he marries and has two children while becoming a very successful optometrist. Shortly after his daughter’s wedding, Billy is taken by aliens to the planet Tralfamadore and exhibited in a zoo there. During his stay on their planet, he learns that Tralfamadorians have a completely different concept of time: for them, every moment, whether in the past, present or future, has always existed, always will, and will occur over and over again. They are able to revisit any part of their lives at will, and so to them an individual’s death does not matter, as they are still alive in the past. During this time, he falls in love with another kidnapped human, an actress named Montana Wildhack, and they have a child., Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction -infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years., A short summary of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Slaughterhouse-Five..