It’s rare when a classic is both valid and interesting to teens today, but Kurt Vonnegut’s satiric masterpiece Cat’s Cradle definitely is. I expected to snooze through this book, but I read it in two sittings after hesitantly stopping to sleep at 3 a.m. First published in 1963, Cat’s Cradle provided me with a new take on war and our developed world that is just as relevant today as it was during the birth of the atomic bomb.

Cat’s Cradle is a universal satire on science’s role in war. The story revolves around a journalist and the adult children of Felix Hoenikker, father of the atomic bomb – as well as Angela, Newt, and Frank Hoenikker. The book details their collective journey to a small island in the Caribbean, deemed worthless by all who conquered it. The island is ruled by the religion of Bokononism, a series of universal truths, as well as the island’s dictator. The book follows the demise of this dictator and the events triggered by his death.

Vonnegut uses Bokononism to illustrate his ideas about the world and humans’ place in it. He shows us that inventions with innocent intentions can have dire consequences, and the importance of recognizing them. The first-person point of view allows you to be both a bystander and part of the events that take place over the course of the novel.

Cat’s Cradle should be read by anyone ready to face the reality of human nature. This book forced me to see the larger world around me for the first time and to analyze the actions of those in power. Even if you snoozed through other famous satires commonly read in class, give this book a try.