In a perfect world, I would be neighbors with Sarah Vowell. We would hang out and drink and talk about history and be snarky. Alas, since I am not a stalker fan and this is not a perfect world, the chances of this happening are slim, so I'll stick to her books.
Vowell's latest isn't my favorite of hers (I think that would be Assassination Vacation), but it's still well worth reading for history/pop culture nerds like me. She takes a look at the Massachusetts Bay colonists--what being a Puritan really means, how Puritan and Pilgrim are not interchangeable, and all the various debates about faith and the Elect.
Where Vowell shines is when she connects the past with the present--how damaging the "city on the hill" imagery has been to other countries, how we learn about Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, and what's left of our Puritan past. The flow and rhythm of the book is wonderful--no chapters, just breaks, to interupt the rhythm.
Four stars for the following reasons:
I have never been hugely interested in this time period. But that's my own fault.
And it's just not quite as funny as her other stuff. Though I certainly laughed in places.
Highly recommended.