The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur Dent, rescued from the rubble in his dressing gown by his alien friend Ford Prefect, hitchhikes across the universe and discovers that it is indifferent, bureaucratic, and organized on principles that have nothing to do with human comfort or significance. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. Adams uses science fiction comedy to make Vonnegut's argument about meaninglessness more accessible and more fun — the universe doesn't care, which is terrifying, and also the funniest thing that has ever happened. The most important gateway drug to the absurdist tradition for teenage readers and the book that most clearly shows that taking the universe's indifference seriously is not a cause for despair but for a very specific kind of liberation.