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 stories 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 book, capturing Vowell's memorable wit and her keen social commentary.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Short, Informative, and Funny:
That's the book I'm describing in my review title above, though it could apply to Sarah Vowell herself. This collection of essays is the best kind of historical musing; Sarah ties in the past with the present, and weaves her own biographical comedy around it all. Not only is this book relatively brief, but the essays are as well, so if you're looking for a quick chuckle and an "I didn't know that!" before bedtime, keep The Partly Cloudy Patriot on your nightstand. Also recommended: Assassination... more info
good job:
Just because Vowell is unapologetically partisan in her essays throughout The Partly Cloudy Patriot doesn't make her book any less interesting. In fact, it really enhances it. Even though I found myself agreeing with basically all of what she said, I suppose I could understand why some conservatives could get upset at some of the content here. That would be a waste though; Vowell didn't write a political manifesto, she wrote rather eloquent and heartfelt pieces about what it means for her to be an American,... more info
Informative, insightful, appealing:
THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT is a collection of essays and personal stories by Sarah Vowell, who has an interesting resume--she has been a contributor to NPR's "This American Life," has a pretty impressive list of writer pals (Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby and David Sedaris, to begin with), has written some guest editorials for the NY Times and has provided the voice of a character in the animated film "The Incredibles." This is the second of her four books. Vowell has a "nerd" obsession with American history... more info
A beginner's guide to love of country.:
What I love about this book is that it puts a younger voice on patriotism, tapping into our generation's love of the quirky and random by showing America for many of its quirky, random components--like the underground snack bar in Carlsbad Caverns or how preparing cornbread dressing can make you contemplate death. My favorite essay, "The Nerd Voice", I think perfectly translates that youthful randomness-bordering-on-apathy into an expression of what would be and is appealing in terms of elections and... more info
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for the standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
