Jailbird

Blurb

Jailbird is a novel by Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in 1979; it has come to be known as "his Watergate novel". The plot involves elements ranging from labor movement of the early 20th century to the Nixon Whitehouse, and revolves around Walter F. Starbuck, a man recently released from a low security prison after having served time for a minor role in the Watergate scandal. It is written in a standard memoir format, revealing Starbuck's current situation, then going back to tell the story of his first two days after being released from prison.
Through Walter F. Starbuck and near-rambling biographical sketches of the various characters referenced in the novel, Jailbird concerns itself with the history of the American labor movement, while also pointing out flaws in corporate America, the American political system, the American red scare of the late 1950s, and both capitalist and communist theory.
This novel introduces Vonnegut's fictitious megacorporation, RAMJAC, which he says owned 19% of all business in the United States at its peak.