Richard Gellman

An underrated novel that underscores an important question: How does the citizenry in a decreasing work force find purpose in their lives? Although this futuristic story was written in 1952, it has greater significance as I re-read it in 2021. Post WWII manual labor was in the process of being replaced by mechanization. Later developments in computer science industries further displaced the manual work force, and finally the trend of outsourcing consumer goods to foreign countries has left a large segment of our citizenry searching for satisfying work to anchor their lives. Although Player Piano does little to solve the conundrum, this first Vonnegut novel beautifully lays out the corner we’ve painted ourselves into.