The novel begins with the author, Kurt Vonnegut, telling the story of how he and a friend returned to Dresden, the site of the most devastating fire bombing of the entire Second World War World. This introduction, which is actually the first chapter of the book, is written in the first person as Vonnegut inserts himself into a mostly fictional story. There are a few instances where the author mentions himself as part of the action, but aside from the first and last chapters, the book is written mostly in the third person and tells the story of the fictional character, Billy.Vonnegut and his friend Bernard O. 'Hare discuss the significance of Dresden at O'Hare's house after the author tells his friend that he is having trouble writing the novel based on their shared experience. During the visit, Vonnegut receives no insight from his friend, however, the book's subtitle when Bernard's wife, Mary O'Hare, who is clearly angry with Vonnegut's visit and his attempts to discuss such a traumatic event with his husband, tells them they were just children during the war. He calms down when Vonnegut says he will never see John Wayne or Frank Sinatra act in the film version, that it won't be a falsely heroic story. He tells her that he will title the book “The Children's Crusade” (this is the subtitle of the novel). Vonnegut concludes this "introduction" by saying that, like Lot's wife, she is a mere pillar of salt for looking back at Dresden. Starting with chapter two, the novel becomes a third-person account of Billy Pilgrim's life, jumping back and forth times from his birth in 1922 to his death in 1976 and numerous events in between. There are also hints here that this story may not be entirely reliable. Vonnegut writes th...... middle of paper ......dgar Derby is shot by a firing squad after stealing a teapot from the rubble of Dresden. But there are other touching moments following the destruction of the German city. Billy and some other prisoners find a coffin-shaped wagon and begin searching for food and souvenirs. After a while Billy lies down on the wagon and dozes in the sun. He says it's a moment he would like to relive again and again. However, he is awakened from his bliss by a German couple who point out that the horses pulling the cart are bleeding and injured. It is at this moment that Billy cries for the first and only time during the war. The book also ends with what Vonnegut believes is perhaps the only thing that can be said about something as needlessly destructive and absurd as war. A bird sings “poo-tee-weet” as Billy lies in the sun in the decimated city of Dresden at the end of World War II.