I'm soooooooo happy about this return to my PREFERRED form of Sarah Vowell--I felt like with [b:Unfamiliar Fishes|8857310|Unfamiliar Fishes|Sarah Vowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311706005s/8857310.jpg|13594625] and [b:The Wordy Shipmates|2845287|The Wordy Shipmates|Sarah Vowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442802485s/2845287.jpg|3093704] she was really moving away from being a comedic history-muser and more toward just actual historianship? Which, like, good for her if that's what she'd want to do, but I'd infinitely much rather read a book like this one, and I think it's a much more unique niche that she is so qualified to fill.

also: yes, it is fortuitous that this came out in the midst of HAMILTON-MANIA.

but also Sarah Vowell, in this mode, is just so relatable to me and so important, with her skeptical idealism and shaky faith in human beings. so good. so funny. so empathetic (toward not only Lafayette but also his wife, but also the slaves, and so on). ♥