Chapter One The narrator assures us that the book we are about to read is true, more or less. The parts dealing with World War II are most closely associated with actual events. Twenty-three years have passed since the end of the war, and for much of that time the narrator has been trying to write about the bombing of Dresden. He was never able to write the book. When he thinks ... bed. He jumps in time again, to 1944. It is before he left for Europe; he is riding the train from South Carolina, where he was receiving his training, all the way back to Ilium for his father's funeral. We return ...

• Word Count: 7795
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: High School

... recorded history because over 130,000 civilians lost their lives on February 13, 1945. In chapter one Vonnegut writes in his own voice, introducing his experience of the firebombing of Dresden in World War II while he was a prisoner of war and his attempt for many years to complete a book on the subject. He begins with the claim that most of what follows is true, particularly ... daughter Barbara is distraught by his behavior. She arrives at his house with the newspaper in hand, unable to get Billy to talk sense. Billy describes his entry into the army, his training as a chaplain's assi...

• Word Count: 5323
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: High School