Potus Geeks Book Review: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
What makes Sarah Vowell such an interesting author, aside from her sharp, witty and sarcastic humor, is her remarkable ability to take history away from the elite, pedantic, library-like atmosphere where it is discussed in hushed and obsequious tones, and remind us that it belongs to all of us. In her most recent book Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, she takes a fresh look at the 18th century French teenager who left his home in France like a grounded kid breaking curfew and traveled to the United States to become George Washington's most trusted officer and surrogate son.
It is a remarkable story that Vowell intersperses with vignettes of her own experiences researching the book, and in the process she explains to the reader the importance of the amazing young Frenchman in today's world, both in how he has been remembered and how he has been forgotten. The book chronicles Lafayette's amazing life, but it is much more than just a linear biography. It explains what was happening in the United States from the beginning to the end of the Revolution, it introduces the reader to the leading figures of the revolution, it explains some of the war's more prominent battles, and it brilliantly explores the roller-coaster like relationship between the United States and France. The book contains a myriad of interesting digressions, including the author's meeting with a Lafayette reenactor and Bruce Springsteen's connection to the Revolutionary war.
Do not mistake this book for history lite. History fun, yes. History lite, no. Vowell unearths many interesting factoids than even the most ardent history reader may be unaware of. These include an interesting take by George Washington on religious tolerance in a letter to the congregation of a synagogue ("It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights... Happily the government of the United States gives bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.") Washington must have foreseen internet comment boards when he said "In a free and republican government you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking".
If you like to read history, like intelligent writing, but also like your reading to be fun, Sarah Vowell hits the trifecta with her latest book. This was both a pleasure and a treasure to read and I highly recommend it.
It is a remarkable story that Vowell intersperses with vignettes of her own experiences researching the book, and in the process she explains to the reader the importance of the amazing young Frenchman in today's world, both in how he has been remembered and how he has been forgotten. The book chronicles Lafayette's amazing life, but it is much more than just a linear biography. It explains what was happening in the United States from the beginning to the end of the Revolution, it introduces the reader to the leading figures of the revolution, it explains some of the war's more prominent battles, and it brilliantly explores the roller-coaster like relationship between the United States and France. The book contains a myriad of interesting digressions, including the author's meeting with a Lafayette reenactor and Bruce Springsteen's connection to the Revolutionary war.
Do not mistake this book for history lite. History fun, yes. History lite, no. Vowell unearths many interesting factoids than even the most ardent history reader may be unaware of. These include an interesting take by George Washington on religious tolerance in a letter to the congregation of a synagogue ("It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights... Happily the government of the United States gives bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.") Washington must have foreseen internet comment boards when he said "In a free and republican government you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking".
If you like to read history, like intelligent writing, but also like your reading to be fun, Sarah Vowell hits the trifecta with her latest book. This was both a pleasure and a treasure to read and I highly recommend it.