The Wordy Shipmates
by Sarah Vowell
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Book Reviews of The Wordy Shipmates
Book Review: educational but a flawed argument
Summary: 2 Stars
What do you think of when you think of the Puritans? Bucket hats, brass buckle shoes and Thanksgiving pageants? If so, Sarah Vowell thinks you are a bit confused. Her book is not about those religious separatists that landed on Plymouth Rock, but rather the loyal British citizens who founded the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630, a very different people. A very literate, principled group that would found the first college in what would become the United States, Harvard. An intellectual people obsessed with words and language, Greek and Latin and the classics and most of all by the Bible. Hence the title of the book, The Wordy Shipmates.
Also, beside correcting that misapprehension, Vowell wants to explore what their heritage has meant to us as a nation, especially the idea that their leader, Governor John Winthrop, discussed in his "A Model of Christian Charity", the idea that they were to be "a city upon a hill". She gives examples of how that idea was used, and in her estimation, was misused, to shape Americas' idea of herself and to justify her actions throughout history.
Vowell herself seems conflicted by this very 'city on the hill' idea. On the one hand she sees it as dangerous and arrogant, the idea of the Puritans that they, and by her logic we today, feel that we are a superior people, chosen by God to lead, a "beacon of righteousness that all others are to admire". Their strict Calvinist theology led them to believe that they were predestined to be superior, certainly to the Native Americans, who they saw as waiting on the shore for the Puritan's help when they arrived. But then, as Vowell acknowledges, these ideas are totally at odds with the ideas of the Founding Fathers less than 150 years later, the ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence, in the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights...in the very idea of the American Dream.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
More than that, I think there is a problem with her basic premise that America thinks of itself in some way as a Puritan nation. The very ideals the country was founded on were at odds with the strict predestination theology of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Then the history of Massachusetts itself, while important in America, was certainly not the only intellectual influence, even at the beginning of our nation. And that is not to even mention the hundreds of years of huge immigrations to our country from all over the world, bringing a breath of cultural and religious and intellectual ideals that the Puritans could not even have imagined.
So, at times an amusing book, that certainly left me with an increased knowledge about the Puritans and the founding of Massachusetts but also a bit of a confusing and overblown jumble, punctuated by a few political tirades I found jarring to the argument, with a premise that just didn't hold up.
Book Review: More from the undisputed pop geek post-modern goddess of American history
Summary: 5 Stars
Sarah Vowell is probably the first to admit that she's a US history geek, indeed she proudly wears the fact on her sleeve throughout her writing. Like many people obsessed with a particular topic she is hell bent on making sure everyone else appreciates her passion. This desire might be weird and discomforting were it not for Vowell's tremendous sense of humor and gift for prose.
Wordy Shipmates considers those trendy black clothed proto-goths, the Puritans, often imagined, as she puts it as "generic, boring, stupid judgmental killjoys." Not so argues Vowell, who instead describes them as "they are very specific, fascinating, brilliant, judgmental killjoys who rarely agreed on anything except that Catholics are going to hell." Here we find Vowell's first thrust, that far from uninteresting, the Puritans were vibrant intellectuals. With considerable thought, she mounts piles of evidence to show how seriously these people took ideas and how many of these ideas continue to affect our culture to the present day, positioning them as startling the divide between the modern and the medieval world.
Regarding the impact of the Puritans on modern American culture, Vowell does an excellent job, particularly in separating supposition from fact, pointing out how much of the Evangelical bent laid out the Puritan's door is really rooted in the "great awakening." Even more interesting, she demonstrates how, despite the claims to the contrary that are so often repeated in modern politics, the US has a deeply rooted tradition of communitarians that stretches all the way back to these first New Englanders. Moreover, her discussion of surety vs. doubt in our culture also provides much food for thought.
For me, the book fell short in only one aspect and that only because Vowell set such a high bar in her superb "Assassination Vacation." In that earlier work she struck a near perfect balance between snarky post-modern humor, being informative, and a powerful emotive reverence that she plainly feels for the US and its history. In particular Vowell's discussion of Lincoln in that work will pull your heart into your throat.
In contrast, "Wordy Shipmates" doesn't quite achieve that perfect balance. To be sure, much of her linking to the modern world is evocative. Particularly arresting is her description of New Yorkers right after 9/11 lining up to do all they can to help rescue crews even as they breath ash composed at least in part of the remains of their fellow New Yorkers. Yet these digressions, while often thoughtful, at times lean too much to the snarky, even verging at times on preachy.
Let me say again, that shortcoming only exists because Vowell's own previous work was so extraordinary. Indeed, anyone with an interest in US history or culture will be missing out if they fail to book passage with "The Wordy Shipmates" in order to consider her thoughtful analysis.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: Boston uncommon
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a Sarah Vowell fanboy since even before Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World came out several years ago. I especially loved her brand of historical tourism, as reflected in her essay on the Trail of Tears. I thought that Assassination Vacation took her book-writing to the next level. Here she was writing just for me -- taking an entire book to recount her trips to obscure historical markers, telling remarkable stories about forgotten slices of Americana and making brilliant parallels to today's state of affairs.
"The Wordy Shipmates" explores the Puritan settlement that became Boston, about ten years after the Pilgrims (a different breed of colonists) landed on Plymouth Rock. In trademark Vowell style, this is no dry history book with too many block quotes. Vowell constantly jumps through time to the present, finding parallels between 17th century religious leaders and our own 21st century politicians. She by turns finds things to both admire and revile among Puritans and modern-day American politicians alike.
Some of her historical observations are jaw-dropping. Who knew that a 1638 courtroom battle between governor John Winthrop and Protestant visionary Anne Hutchinson would be avenged in the 2004 Presidential debate, in which each participant had a descendant?
Other Vowell trademarks are muted this time around. There's less historical tourism on display than I recall there being in Assassination Vacation. Bennett Miller does not make an appearance, perhaps having been too busy with Capote during the research phase.
However, her love for both old-school Americana and the current political process is well on display. Her 14-page critique of Ronald Reagan, whose misuse of John Winthrop's words she decries, is a stunningly angry bit of writing. Her idealism is also showcased, especially in segments on the 9/11 attacks and John F. Kennedy. Self-described as The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Vowell is an authentic and important American voice, and I'm eagerly awaiting her next vacation.
Of course it helps that Vowell's politics aren't too far from mine. Her conclusions are not universally accepted so many will find fault with this book. Still, I think there's much worth sharing with everyone.
Book Review: Delightful and illuminating historical romp
Summary: 4 Stars
I'd always enjoyed Sarah Vowell's segments on This American Life, so I expected I would enjoy her books as well. Reading her latest, The Wordy Shipmates, I was as delighted as I hoped to be. Vowell has a deep appreciation for history, a keen eye for irony, and a sharp wit. Her distinctive charm is her voice, both figuratively and literally. Her speaking voice has the innocent earnestness of a Peanuts character, while her "voice" is incisively sardonic commentary, rich with wacky metaphors and ironic juxtapositions. The combination is masterful deadpan. My only worry was that even great deadpan, unbroken, would get monotonous, but it was not so. Her wry observations were leavened with sincere ones, and her passion for the subjects of her study was all the more contagious for her truly earnest moments.
The subject of this book was the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts, a subject made quite fascinating by her expositions of different facets of their story. I learned much (for instance, I never before appreciated the differences between the Pilgrims and the Puritans), and was introduced to great characters -- John Winthrop, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson -- of whom I had known little more than their names. Vowell's sketches, while sardonic, are also well-grounded in source material, which is often quoted. In the audio book, read by Vowell herself, the quoted parts are read by actors, an interesting effect, as you get to recognize the voices after a while. Rather than a strictly chronological sequence, she presents a series of expositions on different characters and themes, which interlock and reinforce one another to paint a full history by the end. Unlike most historians who endeavor to be objective and detached, Vowell wears her distinctive point of view on her sleeve. She relates personal anecdotes and sentiments reflecting her subject, and at times makes ironic juxtapositions with more modern events with an unabashed subjectivity. For instance, her meditations on the theme of a "city on a hill", articulated in a famous sermon by John Winthrop, recur in accounts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but also jump to Reagan and Kennedy and other brief excursions into American exceptionalism. I don't see this as detracting from the history at all, in fact, it makes it more memorable. Just as a columnist with an explicit viewpoint can be just as illuminating and credible as an "objective" journalist, so is Vowell's style of history as illuminating and credible as a drier scholarly history. Her distinctive retelling of their stories brings these historical characters to life. A greatly entertaining and educational read.
Book Review: A wordy yet funny book
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I got this book last night and I devoured it. I probably should have savored it though. There is so much substance to it that I probably missed so much. That is the beauty of Sarah Vowell. Her books are well researched and there is so much subtle humor and not so subtle humor that is makes learning about something that sounds boring like the puritans (hey she admits this in the book! When she tells people that she was working on a book about Puritans and how people reactions were usually -- well not so enthused) actually interesting. I am not a big non-fiction reader, and when I do read non fiction it usually is not political or American history so enjoying a book like this is a big deal.
The fun thing about reading a Sarah Vowell book is how she will take history and make it relevant to what is happening now or at least put it in a context that you could understand. Who knew there were actually differences between the puritan colonists and comparing them to the differences between the godfather movies would make sense? I actually laughed out loud when she went on to explain her early education about puritans existed solely based on the Brady Bunch and Happy Days episodes. I actually remembered those episodes! She cleverly weaves in these reminisces of Marsha's broken nose with speeches given by Ronald Regan and other great leaders that use words dating back to Winthorp one of these founding Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Amazing. What is more amazing is how the ideals/motivations of the Puritans to come to American are still what are shaping our foreign policy today.
Although I devoured this book, enjoyed, and would recommend it -- I wouldn't say this is her best book. I found that Wordy Shipmates at points got bogged down in the history and the amazing research that Sarah puts into her work. The book dragged at points where there were less personal anecdotes or less Sarah Vowell and more just passages of historical fact. Her strength is interspersing her quirkiness into books and although there was a lot of that in the book maybe there just wasn't enough for me! I still highly recommend this book and any other Sarah vowel book. Good stuff.