Slaughterhouse-Five | Ch. 5.6 - Barbed Wire Ballet, PTSD, & Latrine Woes

Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship

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In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan continue chapter 5 of Slaughterhouse-Five, where time travel is real, PTSD gets metaphorical, and barbed wire proves surprisingly good at teaching Billy Pilgrim ballet. Between dissecting an awkward honeymoon chat about war (nothing says romance like trauma!) and pondering the existential significance of latrine signage, we shine a light on Vonnegut’s masterful commentary on the absurdity of human existence.
Things to Listen For

• Billy Pilgrim’s barbed wire ballet—Swan Lake, eat your heart out.
• PTSD and time travel: trauma triggers, but make it sci-fi.
• Robot takes us to school on wartime mental health history.
• Dan’s hot take: Vonnegut wrote himself in just to humblebrag.
• A latrine message that doubles as survival advice—don’t miss it!

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Disclaimer

Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment under fair use guidelines. Material from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is shared for these purposes, with all copyrights retained by the original rights holders. We encourage listeners to purchase the book for full appreciation.

This podcast is not endorsed by Kurt Vonnegut, his estate, or his publishers. Any monetization is separate and not derived directly from the copyrighted material.

Topics Covered

Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Billy Pilgrim, PTSD, barbed wire dance, wartime trauma, time travel, Edgar Derby, banned books, censorship.