Recommend some similar literature?

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig.

John Barth
Vladimir Nabokov

Chuck Palahniuk. Choke is one of my favorite books but you shouldn’t read it until after you’ve read some other palahniuk cuz it’s pretty graphic.

@KatawaGrey

Choke wasn’t nearly as good as Survivor and Fight Club IMO.

It was needlessly vulgar and graphic just for the sake of being so as where Survivor and Fight Club’s crude nature actually helped the plot.

@elchoo: I’ve never read Survivor, but I didn’t really like Fight Club… I like Choke because of the amazing transformation Victor goes through. I agree that it was extremely graphic, but I just think of that as a weed-out. :) If you have a weak stomach, don’t read Choke!

Ray Bradbury (The Illustrated Man is a GREAT place to start) and Issac Assimov’s short stories.

Agreeing on Palahniuk, Bradbury, and Heller, adding on Thomas Pynchon.

Richard Yates. Although he’s more like F. Scott Fitzgerald or Somerset Maugham than Vonnegut. But still, check him out.

Different genre, but still mind-blowing:

The Four-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss. Inspiring and paradigm-shifting.

I’m reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy right now. Not necessarily intense in the same way as Vonnegut, but still a damn good read.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Talk about mind-blowing.

Try Thomas Pynchon. I’m reading his latest book, Against the Day and i love it. his writing reminds alot of Vonnegut. it’s pretty heady stuff, lots of science, ontology, and beautiful prose. I don’t know how he does it he seem to know everything about everything. perusing the other answers, i would second Catch 22 and Bradbury and add Phillip K. Dick if your interests tend towards scifi.

Indeed, I loved House of Leaves! As for Palahniuk, he’s what I consider more modern (and I’m not going to compare Danielewski with Vonnegut either) but good stuff. More humorous than mind blowing, though I did enjoy Rant.

I’m reading Catch 22 now, which should keep me occupied for a bit. Thanks for responses!

I wish you the best of luck. I had to write an analytical paper on it in AP English during my senior year, and I based my thesis on how the book is basically making fun of humanities idiotic nature. Kinda grasping at straws.

Crypotonomicon, the Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies; would second Heller, Pynchon, Yates. You might have a look at It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, if you can find it, or The Wizard of Loneliness by John Nichols. All blow minds in different ways.

I hate to repeat, but definitely Palahniuk. He’s one of ym favorite authors. His works never get old.

Tom Wolfe has some works that might do; and although a bit dated, Hunter S. Thompson’s stuff, i.e. “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” could be considered ming-blowing indeed.