Vowell'snarrative look at our somewhat united states ishumorous,irreverentand wholly original.
Sarah Vowell is the bestselling author of Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, Unfamiliar Fishes, The Wordy Shipmates, Assassination Vacation, and The Partly Cloudy Patriot.
"[A] freewheeling history of the Revolutionary War... Vowell points
out that Lafayette was for a time 'a national obsession.'" --The
New Yorker "Vowell wanders through the history of the American
Revolution and its immediate aftermath, using Lafayette's
involvement in the war as a map, and bringing us all along in her
perambulations...Her prose sparkles."--The New York Times Book
Review "[Vowell] takes an open and observant 'Hey, that's nuts'
stance toward past and present, which results in a book that's
informative, funny and insightful." --TIME "Gilded with snark,
buoyant on charm, Vowell's brand of history categorically refuses
to take itself -- or any of its subjects -- too seriously....At
once light-footed and light-hearted, her histories are -- dare I
say it -- fun. And Lafayette is no different. Even amid defeats...
Vowell emerges from the Revolutionary War with an unabashed smile
on her face. I'd be surprised if her reader doesn't, too."
--NPR
"[Vowell] turns the dusty chronicle of American history into a
lively mash up and then, playing the history nerd, delivers her
stories in her flat funny voice." --The National Book Review "Sarah
Vowell turns her keen eye and droll wit to the American Revolution
in her latest historical venture, Lafayette in the Somewhat United
States... Vowell, of course, doesn't just give us the highlights;
she offers a portrait of [Lafayette] and his older contemporaries,
with whom he found friendship, glory, and endless bickering."
--Cosmopolitan
"You can't beat Sarah Vowell for quirky chronicles of American
history's dark side."--Chicago Reader "Vowell takes on American
history as only she can, this time with the story of Frenchman
theMarquis de Lafayette, a Revolutionary War hero." --USA Today
"To impress the history buff at the table, read Vowell's (ever the
expert in, really, everything) in-depth and irreverent account of
George Washington's decorated general Lafayette, which also looks
to our own political climate for context."--Marie Claire
"Nobody recounts American history the way Sarah Vowell does, with
irreverence and humor and quirky details -- history and facts, but
also entertainment. [Lafayette in the Somewhat United States] is
about the friendship between George Washington and the Marquis de
Lafayette, but in Vowell's inimitable style it is also firmly
grounded in the present."--Minneapolis Star Tribune "Here's one
historian who is a born storyteller."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Vowell's rollicking, sly humor is the perfect spoonful of sugar to
down with her intensive research and historical insight."
--Huffington Post "If you ever wanted an insightful and
entertaining look at the friendship between George Washington and
his French aristocrat general Marquis de Lafayette, this book by
Sarah Vowell...should be on your list." --Kansas City Star
"Vowell's sort of the Quentin Tarantino of popular history: She
weaves pop culture and real life into her narrative, breaking down
the barriers that keep history buried in the past." --The Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel "Vowell is especially skilled at making detours
seem natural and relevant, including in this case a swing by the
boyhood home of Bruce Springsteen, which was in the neighborhood of
a battle site and, hey, a historical landmark in its own right
(plus, she adds, one of the Boss's relatives was a Revolutionary
soldier)... An intoxicating blend of humor and emotional weight."
--The AV Club "What so funny about American History? A lot, when
it's Sarah Vowell telling the story." --Omnivoriacious "Lafayette
is lucky he has Sarah Vowell in his court." --New Republic "With
laugh-out-loud humor and her characteristic snark, Vowell makes
this walk through history a walk in the park." --The Washington
Post
"A whopping canvas as choreographed as a graphic novel.... Vowell
brings a learned, wiseacre hand to this work, full of its own brio
and dash, and with that legerdemain that finds you embracing
history." --B&N Review "Sarah Vowell books are equal parts
incisive and laugh-out-loud funny."--Inside Higher Ed "[Vowell] is
wonderful at showing the way history can be a conversation between
the past and present."--Sophisticated Dorkiness
"An engaging reminder that America has never been anything but a
(somewhat) dysfunctional country." --Washington Monthly "Sarah
Vowell is that hip high-school history teacher everyone wanted to
have... She has a gift for the kind of description that seals an
image in the reader's imagination."--Columbus Dispatch "When it
comes to weird basic facts, all you have to do is turn on a
presidential debate to remind yourself of the irreconcilable
paradoxes and contemptuous rifts at the highest levels of American
public life. [This] is one of those books that reminds us things
have been this way since the beginning."--The Stranger "Author
Sarah Vowell has a unique voice both in reality and in her
reality... Vowell takes a rather wry look at history under any
circumstance, applying her modern and political perspectives to her
topics."--Gabbing Geek "Vowell has mined American history for
surprising and amusing insights into the heart of the
nation."--Slate "Like her previous books, Lafayette strikes witty
blows against the stodgy sorts of U.S. history taught in
classrooms."--The Smithsonian "The enjoyment Vowell seems to derive
from poking around in America's obscure corners is part of what
makes her historical narratives vital. In tracing history's
circuitous path, she demonstrates how we got where we are
today--and sheds light on where we might be heading
next."--BookPage "[Vowell is] as good at giving facts as she is at
making sure you'll retain them by telling the story in the most
fascinating way possible."--Paste
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