leasummer's review against another edition
4.0
Sarah Vowell is hilarious. She makes me want to get really active in politics while at the same time reminding me of the heartbreak that keeps me from it. She is a must read!
vicioustrollope's review against another edition
4.0
earnest and thoughtful look at what it means to be a patriot in america. if you like quippy writing and/or npr, read this.
logantea's review against another edition
3.0
Really hit or miss. And being politically based humor it hasn't aged super well. Some of it seems very quaint and others dated.
jcschildbach's review against another edition
5.0
I love Sarah Vowell, and may be in love with Sarah Vowell. Who else would reference Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Al Gore's first book, and the correct Seminole languages (via a reference to a Revenge of the Nerds sequel) in an essay on the Supreme Court calling a halt to the vote recounts in Florida in the 2000 presidential election? Vowell is passionate about history and politics, but also well-versed in pop culture, all in an incredibly personal way. She is able to articulate the contradictions in American life and in her private life (which makes it that much more universal), such as how it is possible to both love and be deeply disturbed by one's family, and one's country.
langwidere's review against another edition
sarah vowell is always a lil treat for me, especially when i get to larp bush era while reading it. history girls we are legion!!!
pamiverson's review
3.0
Her reflections as a political nerd circa 2001-2002. Would have been better to have read it closer to that time.
alisarae's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic amd hilarious personal essays about Americana that took me back to the period of Bush-era political frustration washed in midwestern naivety. Remember when the Lewinsky scandal was still fresh in our minds and Al Gore “invented the internet”? Ahh, the good ol days.
Anyways, I love American humore that is self-depreciating and appreciates our Wild West values. two choice essays here: Why Americans have cowboys and Canadians have mounties, and how Gore vs Bush was a replay of highschool nerds vs jocks.
Also, if you don’t listen to this via audiobook, you are missing out. Sarah Vowell is a favorite voice on This American Life and she plays Violet in The Incredibles. Also, there is functional music by They Might Be Giants.
Anyways, I love American humore that is self-depreciating and appreciates our Wild West values. two choice essays here: Why Americans have cowboys and Canadians have mounties, and how Gore vs Bush was a replay of highschool nerds vs jocks.
Also, if you don’t listen to this via audiobook, you are missing out. Sarah Vowell is a favorite voice on This American Life and she plays Violet in The Incredibles. Also, there is functional music by They Might Be Giants.
sweddy65's review against another edition
5.0
We listened to the audiobook on a recent trip. I love that she reads and that she gets others to read, too.
ben_miller's review against another edition
3.0
2002 was a simpler time.
George W. Bush had just stolen the presidency, terrorists had attacked on American soil, and we were launching ourselves into an illegal war -- ah, those were the days.
The twelve years of endless combat, financial collapse, and increasing national division that have intervened now make that 2002 America, portrayed in this book, seem like a Normal Rockwell painting.
So, if you're interested in a trip down Memory Lane to those halcyon days when you felt freshly outraged and afraid, not yet resignedly outraged and afraid, grab a copy of this book.
George W. Bush had just stolen the presidency, terrorists had attacked on American soil, and we were launching ourselves into an illegal war -- ah, those were the days.
The twelve years of endless combat, financial collapse, and increasing national division that have intervened now make that 2002 America, portrayed in this book, seem like a Normal Rockwell painting.
So, if you're interested in a trip down Memory Lane to those halcyon days when you felt freshly outraged and afraid, not yet resignedly outraged and afraid, grab a copy of this book.