"Everything I'm about to tell you is a blatant lie." Thus begins the Books of Bokonon. Bokononism is an original religion that is introduced in this book, Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The book shows the importance of religion, even if that religion is made up of “blatant lies.” It also shows how people convince themselves that things are better than they really are. I read this book because of a promise I made to my father. I'm glad I made that promise; I just read a deliciously funny and profound story about the end of the world. The book begins with a writer named John doing research for his book about the day the atomic bomb was dropped. He speaks with Newt, son of Dr. Felix Hoenikker, the creator of the atomic bomb. He then goes to Illium, the city where the Hoenikkers grew up, and there discovers the existence of ice-nine, a shard of which could freeze all the oceans in the world. John soon discovers that Frank, Felix's other son, is on a small island called San Lorenzo. He goes there to do additional research for his book. On the plane, he meets Newt himself, who turns out to be a dwarf, and the Crosbys, a married couple. John reads a book the Crosbys give him on the plane about the religion of Bokononism and its customs. One custom is Bokomaru, which involves touching souls with their feet to get closer. He also reads how Bokonon, the creator of Bokononism, was banned. When they arrive in San Lorenzo, the president falls ill. Frank, who...