Publisher Description
In The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Sarah Vowell travels through the American past and, in doing so, investigates the dusty, bumpy roads of her own life. In this insightful and funny collection of personal stories, Vowell—widely hailed for her inimitable narratives on public radio’s This American Life—ponders a number of curious questions: Why is she happiest when visiting the sites of bloody struggles like Salem or Gettysburg? Why do people always inappropriately compare themselves to Rosa Parks? Why is a bad life in sunny California so much worse than a bad life anywhere else? What is it about the Zen of foul shots? And, in the title piece, why must doubt and internal arguments haunt the sleepless nights of the true patriot?
Her essays confront a wide range of subjects, themes, icons, and historical moments: Ike, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton; Canadian Mounties and German Filmmakers; Tom Cruise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; twins and nerds; the Gettysburg Address, the State of the Union, and George W. Bush’s inauguration. The result is a teeming and engrossing audiobook, capturing Vowell’s memorable wit and her keen social commentary.
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“It was strange reading this book — written around the time of the “election” of George W. Bush in 2000 — just before the inauguration of his successor. I certainly recall feeling the same things that Vowell did during this unfortunate era in our nation’s history, but the emotions fell slightly flat as we prepared to wake up from our national nightmare. Also, ASSASSINATION VACATION was better, so this book suffered for being read after its successor.”
—
Salem (4 out of 5 stars)
