Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Though Vowell disavows any status of historian, she's one of the many recent authors who's doing history properly. Her nuanced examinations of relative forgotten or ignored pivotal historical events for America are not only packed with information; they're digestible, too.

This is a much-forgotten aspect when it comes to writing about history by historians. Historians seem to believe that you can write “history,” or you can write for the general market. This short-changes both audiences.

It's not enough to simplify history in order to make it seem more exciting — this is the pseudo-argument at the heart of every high school history textbook I've ever read, that to include all the conflicting and somewhat contrasting evidence would be “confusing” and therefore boring. To their minds, we must all think that George Washington had his cherry tree, never told a lie and ascended to Mount Olympus when his time on this earth was complete.

Vowell and her ilk show us the flaws in the marble busts that so often serve as our only reminders of our leaders. The titular Lafayette should be considered as one of the great heroes of the American Revolution ... but only because he was spoiling for war, and at times probably endangered his troops in his lust for military honors.

But that makes him more interesting, not less. He's a whole human being with conflicting ideas and wants. He's an actual person who made decisions (and mistakes!), rather than a mythical figure who felled giants and battled trolls with immaculately coiffed wigs.

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). ♥

Short Review: I have listened to all of Sarah Vowell's books on audio because I love her narration. You can tell she used to be in radio because they are not simply straight narration, but have characters that interject.

Sarah Vowell is not a straight historian. If that is what you are looking for you will want to skip this. She is instead a historian that loves being side tracked and putting her own discovery into the story. This is first person research oriented history.

I also think this was the best since Assassination Vacation. Essentially this is the story of the french contribution to the American Revolutionary War. It is a good reminder that without French (and Dutch) help, it is likely that the United States would not have won the Revolutionary War.

I do wish she had spent some more time on Lafayette after the Revolution. And the recent bio I read on John Quincy Adams spent more time on Lafayette's return to the US nearly 50 years later than this did.

But all in all, if you are looking for a snarky history of the American Revolution, this is a good place to start.


My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/lafayette/