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Assassination Vacation - Community Reviews back

by Sarah Vowell
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Kerry
Kerry rated it 10 years ago
Jokey anecdote-led historical/travel non-fiction! I love all these things! Sarah Vowell is quirky teetering on the edge of Quirky – her elementary school nickname was Wednesday (as in Addams), what droll classmates she must have had – and she's written historical travelogue about American presidenti...
katiewilkins186
katiewilkins186 rated it 11 years ago
For a unique and morbid vacation experience, Sarah Vowell decided to travel the country by visiting locations where politicians have been assassinated. In this book, she shares interesting anecdotes, both from history and her own experiences, as well as a ton of fun facts. I really liked this approa...
Ms. Margie
Ms. Margie rated it 12 years ago
If you enjoy Sarah Vowell's stream-of-consciousness, phobic, obsessive voice, you'll love this book.Vowell is wacky, and I say that in the nicest way. She writes very honestly and openly, which I enjoy because she is so wacky - absolutely obsessed with the assassinated presidents, which kind of fre...
Stacia's books
Stacia's books rated it 12 years ago
2.5 stars. Parts of the book were relatively interesting, but I think the overall narrative suffered because of the author's meandering, jumpy style (along w/ the fact that she often had pretty stringent political asides about "current" politics -- current for the time of the book's writing, i.e., t...
joshmunn
joshmunn rated it 12 years ago
Vowell finds herself a lot more hilarious than I do.
I'll think of a damn title later
I'll think of a damn title later rated it 13 years ago
Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation is an informative and amusing book about the author's pilgrimage to sites related to the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. I myself am not a history expert, but this book described the relationships between the presidents and their wives and fri...
VeganCleopatra
VeganCleopatra rated it 14 years ago
4.5 starsThis was a thoroughly entertaining book. I loved Vowell's dry wit and her true love for American presidential history is catching. I have never been very interested in American history, I suppose because it makes one look more closely at the present time--and that is just not wise (next sto...
Clif's Book World
Clif's Book World rated it 14 years ago
Those who listen to PRI's This American Life and then happen to listen to the audio version of this book will immediately recognize the sound of the author's voice. This book is similar like her radio essays except longer. She tells the story of visiting the sites related to the assassinations of ...
Don't Be Afraid of the Dork
Don't Be Afraid of the Dork rated it 15 years ago
A unique meandering but detailed and thorough journey through all the landmarks associated with the assasinations of Presidents's Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. Vowell has a great story-telling style - quirky, funny, and personal yet very informative. I was a little nervous about her reading at fi...
grace
grace rated it 15 years ago
Meh. The historical stuff wasn't thorough enough and the author's personal "vacation" narrative wasn't well developed either. The whole book was really just a collection of scattered anecdotes. I learned a few interesting things, I just wish it had been more in-depth. For example: Charles Guiteau bo...
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