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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | 973 VOWELL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | 973 VOWELL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | 973 Vowell 2002 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
From the author who Nick Hornby calls smart, funny, soulful, and even educational--a smart, funny, soulful, and even educational collection of first-person experiences about life in America. Vowell captures the hilarious and moving things that happen when she confronts history.
Author Notes
Sarah Vowell lives in New York City.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-These essays and commentaries from Vowell's NPR radio appearances and other sources are curmudgeonly, critical, liberal, and, often, laugh-out-loud funny. The commentator, a self-described history nerd, wanders across the spectrum of American life from the theme-park feeling of Salem, MA, where she purchased a Witch's Crossing shot glass, to the glories of Carlsbad Caverns and the Underground Luncheonette. She belongs to a political listserv that was aghast at the results of the 2000 election, yet, joining several of the members on a road trip to protest the Inauguration, she ended up weeping as she sang the "Star-Spangled Banner." Her commitment to America and her dismay about the current direction of the government, both before and after September 11, are strongly stated, but her wit and slightly quirky outlook make reading her book a pleasure. Teens, regardless of their political leanings, will enjoy the pop-culture connections and even learn some history while smiling at her delivery. This title will work well for assignments on essay writing and even provide material for monologues.-Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Few narrators could sound complimentary when calling Al Gore a "big honking nerd," but Vowell (Take the Cannoli), a self-proclaimed nerd, succeeds in doing just that while reading her collection of thoughtful, humorous essays on politics, patriotism and Tom Cruise (among other topics). Vowell's thin, reedy voice and halting delivery take some getting used to, but she settles into a comfortable groove by the end of the first tape, when she relates what she's learned from visiting places like Gettysburg and Witch City (otherwise known as Salem): no matter what your troubles are, "it could be worse." This is followed by an upbeat tune by They Might Be Giants, who composed the music for this audio. It's hard to resist a catchy, comical verse like, "You asked for baked potato/and they gave you fries/but that's not as sad now/is it/as the day the music died," but it's even more difficult to resist Vowell's obvious passion for history, for Al Gore and for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The full plate of special guests-including Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert and Michael Chabon-make token contributions: Colbert does an admirable impersonation of Gore and the oddly chosen O'Brien attempts to fill Abraham Lincoln's shoes. In the end, however, it is Vowell's self-deprecating wit and earnest delivery that will win over listeners. Based on the S&S hardcover (Forecasts, June 24, 2002). (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Pop-culture commentator Vowell (Take the Cannoli, 2000) offers an engrossing take on suddenly sexy topic of love of country. Patriotism may be newly palatable to the hip masses who make up her audience on NPR's This American Life, but the author herself is the type of person who happily celebrated her 30th birthday at Grant's Tomb. In this collection of essays, she shares her obsession in a work of humor, nuance, and restrained passion, managing both to discuss America's flaws and restore readers' pride in the nation. Kicking it off with a rousing yet remarkably uncloying paean to Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address, Vowell puts the reader on notice that, sure, she's funny, but supporting the quips is a rock-solid knowledge of history. Addressing topics that range from the optimal designs of presidential libraries past and future (she advises Clinton to take a page from Nixon, whose library squarely confronts Watergate) to our tendency to make light of serious history (at Salem, she purchases a shot glass emblazoned with "Witch XING"), the author wanders through historical sites and touchstones of American culture. Vowell is no rah-rah patriot; one of her lengthiest essays is devoted to her realization during George W. Bush's inauguration that she has developed a soft spot for Bob Dole, because "he symbolizes a simpler, more innocent time in America when you could lose the presidential election and, like, not actually become the president." Not all the pieces are political; Vowell also reports on the challenges of family Thanksgivings, the joys of an arcade game called Pop-a-Shot, the appeal of dining in the underground cafeteria at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and her newfound appreciation of Tom Cruise. Refreshing, inspiring, enchanting.
Booklist Review
With a disposition that is less than sunny and an avid enthusiasm for history, Vowell, a contributor to public radio's This American Life, offers a collection of essays on a variety of historic and modern political events and people. Her crabbiness lets her cut through the cute and precious to observe the underlying gut issues--the tension beneath President Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address, the audacity of a variety of complainants to compare their situations to Rosa Parks' stand against racial segregation. A self-described Democrat and "civics nerd," Vowell recounts the endless debates about the 2000 presidential election among her group of political fanatic friends--"a sarcastic Internet consortium of amateur media watchdogs" --that culminated in a road trip to witness the inauguration, loudly singing the national anthem although their candidate hadn't won. In the title essay, Vowell laments the growing pressure to display patriotism since the terrorist attacks, a pressure that provokes her skepticism. This is a humorous, insightful, and informative look at one individual's sense of patriotism. --Vanessa Bush
Library Journal Review
Part social commentary and part standup comedy routine for the intellectually inclined, this collection of essays from Vowell, a contributing editor to NPR's This American Life, mines history and current events for insights into American life. Topics range from the quirky like an exploration of the value of pointless arcade games and Tom Cruise's "breakthrough" in Magnolia to a revealing example of how Al Gore's "Pinocchio problem" may have been manufactured during the 2000 election and the author's personal reflections on patriotism post- September 11. Interspersed are musings on presidential libraries, U.S./Canadian differences, and being a twin, as well as a history buff's view of why the field is significant. Most of these essays have appeared in print or been broadcast on NPR, but this compilation emphasizes a theme and provides an interesting contrast between pre- and post-attack life perspectives. The author's Gen-X frame of reference is clear, but the book should appeal to a wider audience of armchair historians and others who enjoy irreverent social commentary. The author wrote the similarly brash Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World and Radio On: A Listener's Diary. Highly recommended for large public libraries. Antoinette Brinkman, MLS, Evansville, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
What He Said There | p. 1 |
The First Thanksgiving | p. 9 |
Ike Was a Handsome Man | p. 17 |
God Will Give You Blood to Drink in a Souvenir Shot Glass | p. 31 |
The New German Cinema | p. 43 |
Democracy and Things Like That | p. 47 |
Pop-A-Shot | p. 61 |
California as an Island | p. 67 |
Dear Dead Congressman | p. 79 |
The Nerd Voice | p. 87 |
Rosa Parks, C'est Moi | p. 119 |
Tom Cruise Makes Me Nervous | p. 125 |
Underground Lunchroom | p. 131 |
Wonder Twins | p. 141 |
Cowboys v. Mounties | p. 147 |
The Partly Cloudy Patriot | p. 155 |
State of the Union | p. 173 |
Tom Landry, Existentialist, Dead at 75 | p. 177 |
The Strenuous Life | p. 181 |
Acknowledgments | p. 197 |