Player Piano: A Novel

Player Piano is set in a futuristic America where a supercomputer slots human beings into jobs on the basis of one criterion: IQ. It is written both as a satire of modern knowledge economies and as an exhortation to future engineers and leaders that they be certain to always preserve the inherent rights and `humanness' of humanity even against the boon of technological progression. A man of many talents, author Kurt Vonnegut acquired his love for science fiction and his understanding of the nature of scientific advancement from his undergraduate education studying undergraduate chemistry and mechanical engineering as well as from his time working at General Electric. His social commentary on religion is founded on his experiences in the Unitarian church and his military insight is derived from his experiences fighting in WWII. Furthermore, it is no secret that Vonnegut was a secular humanist, meaning that he holds to, as the American Humanist Association defines it, "a naturalistic philosophy that rejects supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and science, democracy and human compassion." The existential nature of Vonnegut's philosophical belief system is echoed in his commentary on human happiness and capability. The theme of Player Piano can be summarized as an exhortation from Vonnegut to the reader: "Engineers, think about what technological `progress' means for humanity. Managers, think about what it is that makes humans `human' and decide whether or not it is something worth preserving. Make certain that each new technological advancement doesn't strip humanity of its humanness, because once technological progress happens, it can't un-happen." This emphasis on `humanity' and `humanness' throughout Player Piano is no doubt born out of his personal belief system. One character reflects on the automated `Player Piano' across from him in the bar where he stands and says, "makes you feel kind of creepy, don't it Doctor, watching them keys go up and down? You can almost see a ghost sitting there playing his heart out" (Vonnegut 32). Vonnegut uses this imagery throughout the book to discuss the feeling of unhappiness inherent in human idleness and feelings of unimportance when being replaced. But rather than focus entirely on the dangers of scientific advancement, Vonnegut makes sure to portray the good that technology brings in a positive light. The tension between the good of technology and the bad (reflected in the ending of the book) is masterfully done. Vonnegut captures the essence of a knowledge-based economy in an automated future. His wit and sarcasm are simultaneously light hearted and haunting. This book is a must read not only for Vonnegut fans, but for anyone who enjoys a good, funny-yet thoughtful read. After all, the `value of humanity' is a universal idea, is it not?

We are in the future, not too far off though, after the second industrial revolution. Machines have now replaced repetitive and monotonous work. It is a time of seemingly forever peace and it is believed that no war will ever occur again. Paul, the main character, lives in Ilium. The city is geology separated by a river, on one side lives the Managers and Engineers, on the other side the common people. The disjuncture is not only physical but also social, common people and the elite ( Manager and Engineer ) almost never mingle. The plot is separated in two distinct perspectives. On one we follow Dr. Paul Proteus, the manager of the Ilium Works. Paul is an interesting character, he can't seem to ever make a decision by himself, yet he is charming. He is living in the shadow of his father who had had an impressive and very satisfying career. He just goes with the flow of life, he's got dreams but can't seem to find the courage to realize any of them. He is definitely uncomfortable with his current position and the responsibilities this life requires of him. The second part is about Dr Halyard, a diplomat, whose current assignment is to be the guide of Shah, a sect leader of six million members. We can appreciate what america has become through the eyes of an outsider, whose values are totally different. Since the second industrial revolution, Machines have stolen the job from the bulk of the citizen, leaving them with no purpose in life. Besides taking their job, most of the political decision making are now done by machines and the social status of a person is determined by their IQ test result. The common people have a steady income while doing nothing very fulfilling, most of them have no job anymore. The current political situation feels as though it has evolved to communism. Despite the seriousness of the subject discussed, it is delivered with Vonnegut's witty and dark humour which is so special of him. The story deals about social classes, political systems and the purpose of life and the need of being needed. Although I have read other books treating those themes with a better storyline, the quality of the prose alone is a good reason to read the book. It feels like a breeze, you will laugh but at a deeper level you will also realize that it holds a darker and more serious subject. Enjoy !

Great quality book. Not much to say past that. Hats off to the publisher and those making the book itself.

1) Plot (3 stars) - In the near future when the engineers are the elite class and all the people they've displaced due to their technology are the lower class, one engineer starts to question the system. It's a good skeleton for a plot, and I was really rooting for it to go somewhere grand, but unfortunately it seemed to stumble around, exploring random details or subplots and never climaxing in much. It felt like it could have been half the length, and still pack the same mild punch. 2) Characters (3 stars) - Paul Proteus is the engineer extraordinaire, a perfectly-fitted cog for the machinery of his society, only he isn't so sure the machine is worth being a cog in anymore. He has a wife who uses him for his title, and a best friend who goads him closer and closer to the edge to see what's out there. All in all, a fine cast, but I felt like they could have been more. 3) Theme (5 stars) - The automation of society, and what become of the humans left behind, is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s when this book was released. First machines take over the manual jobs, then the repetitive jobs, then finally the thinking jobs. And when that happens, society better have some way for all the billions of humans left with nothing to do to feel purpose, or at least dignity; otherwise we're going to have a mess. This is going on today, and the solution always seems to be "more jobs, more jobs." But maybe jobs aren't the purpose of human life, maybe there's another way society can be built. Vonnegut doesn't offer up a blueprint for this other society. I wish he did. 4) Voice (4 stars) - To me, when Vonnegut is at the top of his game, he writes some of the most precise, insightful, and funny sentences in literature. Each is so economically crafted; the words so thoughtfully chosen. He also writes some of the sharpest dialogue, full of misunderstanding and innuendo. His writing can be art of the highest order - good for the head, good for the heart, and good for the smile muscles. However, this is an early Vonnegut work. So though the seeds of his brilliance are there, often the refinement and humor is missing. 5) Setting (3 stars) -The story takes place in Ilium New York in the near future where the upper engineering elite is separate from the lower "useless" class across the river. Some of the descriptions of the places were clever, but I certainly didn't feel like I was transported there. 6) Overall (3 stars) - Many times when reading this I wanted to recommend it. But in the end, I can't. There are moments of genius thoughts, but often they are too buried in a meandering plot and unrealized characters.

This is reread for me. Strange that a book writtyen so long ago would be pertinent today. My daughter snatched my old copy.

In 2024 (and probably 2025) I'm rereading my Vonnegut collection in chronological order. I recall not loving Player Piano the first time around, but as an older, more experienced reader, especially one staring down the barrel of AI art/music/literature/everything but what AI should be used for, it's easy to view this one in a new light. The fact that this was written in the early 50s is prescient and, frankly, wild. Vonnegut crafts Proteus as a human character in a sea of mannequins, stepford wives, not unlike Guy Montag in Fahrenheit 451. The reader sympathizes, understands, and rolls their eyes more than a few times. It is to Vonnegut's credit that he manages to makes dark guesses about the future without ever losing the ability to hold fast hope and laugh.

I was struck with the inclination to read this book after hearing about it on a Facebook reel of all places. A pastor had recommended reading it while discussing AI, automation, and the dark reality that looms before us regarding its use. So of course I ordered this book and immediately began to read a pirated copy while I waited. I actually finished the book before the copy arrived! This book is a must-read for those who want to reflect on the human desire to create, feel useful, to put in a hard day's work, innovate for the betterment of all, and rise beyond whatever pigeonholing they've experienced. It's an easy read, but the tone is much different than modern literature. Younger readers may be thrown off by some of the vocabulary, from antiquated ideas on what computing would look like, to the word "oleomargarine" appearing 2/3 of the way through the book. Regardless of some terms being lost in translation over the past 3 generations, this page-turner is worth taking the time to read and reflect on.

Dystopian future where industrial machines have replaced humans in factories, only a couple of managerial/engineering personnel remain for oversight and repair. Many are discontent and beyond.. with minimal opportunities and a bleak future. Vonnegut is one of the best!

When the haves and have nots go to war after AI/robots strip the latter of meaningful work. A dystopia for our times

Editora de alto nível, a história no entanto não é tão interessante quanto Slaughterhouse-5

Back in the 1960s we thought that machines would do everything. We would now be living the life of luxury while robots do all the hard work. Player Piano was written even earlier than that and shows the approaching second transition from Labour to automation. That is when machines and algorithms take over from human thinking and not just from human action. The main protagonist is Dr Paul Proteus, the son of the man who had lead the first transition during the war by bringing automation and quality control to industrial production. Now Paul is finding that the role of humans in this automated world is getting less and less and so he feels the need to rebel. It was a novel of its time and the methods of automation and computing have been replaced by silicon and not valves but the message is as important today as it was then. If we turn everything into an algorithm then we lose our humanity. Today the threat is from protocols, check lists and standard operating procedures. Once you have these machine like devices then you take away human thought. In theory this is there to improve quality control, but in reality when it becomes ossified like in the book then quality declines. So for anyone who wants to think about the future, this book should be on your reading list.

Big fan of Vonnegut.Reasonable price,speedy delivery always in good shape.Amazon you deliver!Thanks.

Excellent