The Wordy Shipmates (2008)

I tried reading a couple of Vowell's books this year since they came highly recommended by a fellow librarian, but just wasn't able to connect with the writing style or topics addressed. ( )

I like Sarah Vowell, and I think that Ms. Vowell and I would be friends in real life were we to meet. After all, I too have gone on vacation purely as an excuse to visit key historical areas and points of interest. I get her sense of humor, her dry delivery, and her interests because they align so closely to my own.

As such, I love the opportunity to delve into the mind of Ms. Vowell with one of her books. The Wordy Shipmates is an oldie, but when the subject matter occurred four hundred years ago, it doesn't matter when you read it. So, with nothing much to do during this time of sheltering at home, I took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the Puritans in the eyes of Ms. Vowell.

As expected, I learned more than I expected, like the fact that there were different sects of Puritans, one of which settled in Plymouth and the other in Boston. The Wordy Shipmates focuses mostly on the Bostonian Puritans but includes the settlement of Rhode Island, Indian massacres, and political feuds. She juxtaposes the past with what these same sites look like now, bridging the past and the present in a way that few historians are able to accomplish. The differences, sometimes shocking, between past and present, serve to emphasize her point that to call the United States a Puritan nation is misleading.

Audiobooks are the only way I will experience Ms. Vowell's books. Her writing style is so unique that I feel only she can do her writing justice when narrating. After all, she knows where the natural pauses are, as well as when to add low-level sarcasm or when to say a line straight. Plus, listening to her words in her voice makes the experience more like genuine story-telling while learning a little bit more about our nation's history.

While not my favorite Vowell novel, The Wordy Shipmates is still enjoyable. By focusing on John Winthrop and his Boston Puritans, Ms. Vowell allowed me to connect some of the dots between pieces of history I remembered with those that were new to me. She also does an excellent job of placing her field of study in context with the greater world, so that readers get a better feel for what is happening not just in one specific location but around the globe. In all, The Wordy Shipmates was an entertaining and educational way to pass a few hours.

It was interesting to read early New England history that wasn't focused on the Pilgrims. Instead, this book is mostly concerned with the Puritans who settled in the Boston area. The lighthearted tone is helpful in getting through the slower and more talky portions of history, but it's a bit harder to take when you get to the part that involves the massacre of native children.

BTW, I've stayed at the hotel with the Mayflower water slide and the Plymouth Rock hot tub. It's a fun but surreal experience to be sure. I'm quite certain the Pilgrims would not have approved. ( )

Sarah Vowell makes even the most obscure history as accessible as dishing on the neighbors. Differentiating between the first band of folks coming over on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom and tolerance and those that followed them who sought to impose their own framework of ideas on the new world without a whole lot of tolerance does not whet the appetite of most readers. I started the book because it was Sarah Vowell—I have enjoyed other books by as well as her work on NPR—but almost stopped the moment I realized what the subject matter was. Fortunately, almost immediately she hooked me with her insight, humor and her knack for translating the language, intent and emotional life of the early Americans into contemporary terms that does not sell short who they were or what they believed. Her love of history is evident on every page. I knew virtually none of the people involved in this corner of history but I felt compelled to follow their stories none-the-less. The blend of politics and fear and hope and paranoia and just plain craziness that was mixed together into the cement of America’s cultural foundation is vividly rendered and ended all too soon. The ending felt a little bit rushed but I think that’s just because I was happy. ( )

I usually like Vowell but the pilgrims are not my cup of tea. ( )