The Wordy Shipmates

Kind-hearted yet clear-eyed about her subjects - this is a humorous, wry, and hopeful look at a little slice of American history.

I wish I could remember why this was on my to-read list.

Anyhow, it was a good airplane read. Interesting historical stuff told in a humorous and modern writing style. I was kind of waiting for her to elaborate on the thesis she states quite early about how Puritanical thought has affected U.S. politics, but she doesn't really build that up any further, though there are some other asides about it. All in all it was a bit dull in the middle, and more meandering than I would've liked (particularly, she jumps around in time a lot for no apparent reason, and doesn't really tie the disparate threads of the book together). Plus the constant switching between past and present tense was jarring.

Anyhow, pleasant enough to read, and I learned some stuff, so it wasn't a complete waste of time or anything.

Saw Sarah in person last year. I have been on the wait list for this Audio CD since then at the Austin Library.

A good read, and clearly a subject very near & dear to Vowell's heart. I'm personally not that into the Pilgrims or 17th century history, but I was definitely on board for the ride. Less laugh-out-loud funny than some of her other work, but perhaps more engaged at linking America's past & present.

Informative and usually entertaining, but nowhere near as good as Assassination Vacation or The Partly Cloudy Patriot.