*The nicest veterans…the kindest and funniest ones, the ones who hated war the most, were the ones who’d really fought. [Kurt Vonnegut](http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2778055.Kurt_Vonnegut?utm_medium=email&utm_source=quote_of_the_day) It’s Veterans Day and Kurt Vonnegut’s birthday. The bestselling author of Slaughterhouse-Five (born November 11, 1922) drew on his experiences during World War II to craft his satirical antiwar novel. He had been captured by the Germans and survived the firebombing of Dresden—an event that appears in the book. Among his other popular works are Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.