Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World
by Sarah Vowell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sarah VowellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-04-03
ISBN: 0743205405
Number of pages: 219
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World
Book Review: The political is personal...
Summary: 5 Stars
Though she's known to many as a voice on NPR's "This American Life" and to many more (even if they don't realize it) as the voice of Violet in the hit Pixar film "The Incredibles," I mainly came to know her through her written works. Having read her book "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" and loving the unique way she blends history, pop culture and humor with autobiography, I couldn't resist Sarah Vowell's essay collection "Take the Cannoli." To put it mildly, I was impressed. Even though many of these pieces were delivered on the radio, they translate to book form without a hint of strain. Whereas a book written by a comedian like George Carlin often comes off as a clumsily assembled blog, Ms. Vowell takes the time to put her thoughts down with clarity, and therefore her ideas and personality shine through.
Of course, that's what one should expect of any writer, much less an essayist whose main beat is her own life. So what makes this book hold up next to the likes of David Sedaris and Dave Eggers (both of whom are thanked in the acknowledgments)? For one thing, Ms. Vowell has a firm grasp of American history, both the good and bad, that most contemporary memoirists tend to ignore. In particular is "What I see when I look at the face on the $20 bill," in which she examines the Cherokee side of her family by taking a car trip along the Trail of Tears with her twin sister and tries to reconcile that shameful episode in American history with the country she loves today--this book is also useful ammunition against conservative blowhards who claim that liberals "hate America". Her conclusiions are both inspiring and heartbreaking, not to mention worth the price of admission all by itself. Ms. Vowell looks at the worst America has to offer--violence, racism, religious extremism--and balances it against the freedom, independence and opportunity it provides, and still proudly waves the constitution (that's right, the constitution--any idiot can display a mere symbol like the flag, but the U.S. constitution is about ideas, perhaps the most revolutionary and resonant ideas in the modern world, even if they're not in color).
The current vogue for memoirs can sometimes come off as a gimmick--did you have a screwed-up childhood and a weird family? Great! You too can be a bestselling author! Sarah Vowell proves that a relatively "normal" upbringing and an adult life spent with other people's stories--her takes on "The Godfather" (from where this book gets its title) and Frank Sinatra are mini-classics--can result in something beautiful and original. Call it "post-modern" if you like (or don't--that term went from cliche to plain silly a long time ago) but I'll just call it "brilliant."
Summary of Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World
Take the Cannoli is a moving and wickedly funny collection of personal stories stretching across the immense landscape of the American scene. Vowell tackles subjects such as identity, politics, religion, art, and history with a biting humor. She searches the streets of Hoboken for traces of the town's favorite son, Frank Sinatra. She goes under cover of heavy makeup in an investigation of goth culture, blasts cannonballs into a hillside on a father-daughter outing, and maps her family's haunted history on a road trip down the Trail of Tears. Vowell has an irresistible voice -- caustic and sympathetic, insightful and double-edged -- that has attracted a loyal following for her magazine writing and radio monologues on This American Life.Entertainers Books
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