Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue-it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and-the author’s favorite-historical tourism. New York Times bestselling author Sarah Vowell explores the Puritans and their journey to America in The Wordy Shipmates.Even today, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but Vowell investigates what that means - and what it should mean.

We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other-a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.įrom Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates and contributor to NPR’s This American Life Sarah Vowell embarks on a road trip to sites of political violence, from Washington DC to Alaska, to better understand our nation’s ever-evolving political system and history.

The wordy shipmates by sarah vowell