2 B R 0 2 B (Dramatic Reading)

MP3 Audio CD. Kurt Vonnegut is considered by many to be one of the most underrated writers of science fiction to have been active in the transitional stage between the Golden Age of sci-fi and the modern era, when motion picture and CGI took the place of good old-fashioned stories like 2 B R O 2 B.

The tale at hand is a short satirical dramatic reading that will only take about 15 minutes to go through, but that also carries a lot of weight both when it comes to the presented concepts and Vonnegut?s masterful writing style.

The title is based on Shakespeare?s eternal words ?To be or not to be,? and reflects the essence of this captivating, yet chilling tale with eerie accuracy. The plot presents us with a possible future of the United States, where poverty, disease and even death were all conquered. Unfortunately, there were consequences: with depleted resources and the average human life span extended to about 130, the population of the United States had to be maintained at 40 million. For each newborn, the ?Federal Bureau of Termination? had to ensure the death of another citizen in order to prevent overpopulation.

This bleak prospect took Edward K. Wehling, Jr., to the brink of an impossible dilemma, when he was notified at the hospital that his wife was expecting triplets.

During his lengthy career, Vonnegut was famous for his dark satirical style which can also be seen in 2 B R O 2 B. He has written a total of 14 novels, three short story collections, as well as several plays and works of non-fiction. His best known work is Slaughterhouse Five, a satirical novel with equally disturbing, dark connotations as the story presented here.

For anyone interested in dark satire and outstandingly well-written sci-fi, 2 B R O 2 B is one of the most intense and enjoyable Kurt Vonnegut stories you can consider listening to.