The upheavals that defined the sixties brought about a mainstream acceptance of many writers who had been considered minor or in some cases underground. Kurt Vonnegut, whose first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1952, had a small, but fiercely loyal following, but the literary establishment was not willing to give critical recognition to writers of science fiction. The shift in literary tastes that came in the sixties brought Vonnegut to the forefront with novels such as Cat's Cradle and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, and established him as one of the most popular among readers seeking alternative literary heroes. Slaughterhouse Five, like Catch-22, was written about World War II, but had an enormous impact on galvanizing anti-Vietnam War sentiments. Vonnegut lived through the allied bombing of Dresden in 1945, and Slaughterhouse Five recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war before, during, and after the bombing.
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