July group read discussion thread

[SusanH]

Here is our discussion thread for Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. As always, beware of spoilers as you read the thread.

[SusanH]

I'm going to post even though I have to confess to not having read the last 30 pages. I had very mixed feelings about this book and ultimately put it aside for something else.

Things I liked: the humor, the storytelling, the little snippets of bizarre history, the colorful descriptions of people she met, the section on Lincoln.

Things I didn't like: the section on Garfield (too boring), hearing her views on modern politics (boring and unoriginal), constantly wondering how reliable she was as a historian. There were several gross generalizations about modern politics that left me unable to trust anything she said about anything. Also, she tended to really stretch to make points, like calling Lincoln's son the "Angel of Death" when he was only actually present for one assassination.

All in all, a mixed bag for me.

[Maribeth]

Susan,

I agree with most of your assessments. I had some laugh out loud moments in this book. Her quirkiness reminded me somewhat of Bill Bryson. But honestly, I didn't care to hear her own political views over and over. If I was a staunch conservative, I would have tossed the book in the fireplace. The comment that the tourist who buys a mug with a Confederate flag and a placemat of the US flag must hate both blacks and Arabs at the same time was rather over the top. What does that comment have to do with the theme of this book?

But the book did have its moments. She obviously loves Lincoln and some of that trivia was fascinating.

A mixed bag for me too.