Kurt Vonnegut's 2 B R 0 2 B is a quick, powerful story set in a future Chicago. Doctors have eliminated old age and disease, so nobody has to die. Sounds great, right? The problem is overpopulation. To keep things perfect, the government has a chilling rule: for every new person born, someone else must willingly die. The title itself is a dark joke—it's the phone number for the Federal Bureau of Termination.

The Story

We follow a young painter named Edward K. Wehling, Jr., who is waiting in a hospital. His wife is about to have triplets. In this world, that's not a happy event—it's a crisis. To legally welcome his three new children into the world, Edward must find three people to walk into a gas chamber and die. The story unfolds in real-time as he faces this impossible choice, surrounded by cheerful government officials who see this horrific trade as perfectly normal.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a story with a lot of action. The tension is all in the idea. Vonnegut takes a simple, shocking premise and lets it play out in the most human way possible. You feel Edward's panic and the chilling, polite bureaucracy of the suicide center. It makes you think about the value of life, what we consider 'progress,' and the dark deals we might make for safety and comfort. It’s scary because it feels like something we could actually invent.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves a story that makes them think long after the last page. If you're a fan of Black Mirror, classic sci-fi like Philip K. Dick, or just want a brilliant, bite-sized introduction to Vonnegut's genius, this is it. Read it in one sitting, then call a friend to talk about it. You'll want to.