In this revised edition of a volume originally published in 1989, Lawrence Broer extends his comprehensive critique of the body of writing by Kurt Vonnegut. Broer offers a broad psychoanalytic study of Vonnegut’s works from Player Piano to Hocus Pocus, taking a decisively new approach to the work of one of America’s most important, yet often misinterpreted writers. A compelling and original analysis, Sanity Plea, explores how Vonnegut incorporates his personal experiences into an art that is not defeatist, but rather creatively therapeutic and life-affirming.

Lawrence R. Broer is Professor of English at the University of South Florida.

“The book’s value lies chiefly in its coverage of all of the author, its substantial list of criticism of Vonnegut, and its thorough examination of the nooks and crannies of a dozen books.”—CHOICE

“Sanity Plea is an elegant and engaging book that richly deserves to take its place among the very best in Vonnegut studies.”—Journal of Popular Culture

“Sanity Plea is a title no Vonnegut scholar should be without.”

—The Midwest Book Review