254 pages
English language
Published March 26, 2008 by Riverhead Books.
From the New York Times–bestselling author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, an examination of the Puritans, their covenant communities, their deep-rooted idealism, their political and cultural relevance in today’s world, and their myriad oddities.In The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell travels once again through America’s past, this time to seventeenth-century New England. From the British Library to the Mohegan Sun casino, from the nation’s first synagogue to a Mayflower waterslide, Vowell studies the Puritan effect and finds their beliefs about church and state more interesting than their buckles-and-corn reputation would suggest.She asks:Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, Christlike Christian, or conformity’s tyrannical enforcer? Yes! Was Rhode Island’s architect Roger Williams America’s founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference. How come Henry Vane the Younger, who argued against beheading the English king, was himself beheaded for helping behead said king? Good question. …
From the New York Times–bestselling author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, an examination of the Puritans, their covenant communities, their deep-rooted idealism, their political and cultural relevance in today’s world, and their myriad oddities.In The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell travels once again through America’s past, this time to seventeenth-century New England. From the British Library to the Mohegan Sun casino, from the nation’s first synagogue to a Mayflower waterslide, Vowell studies the Puritan effect and finds their beliefs about church and state more interesting than their buckles-and-corn reputation would suggest.She asks:Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, Christlike Christian, or conformity’s tyrannical enforcer? Yes! Was Rhode Island’s architect Roger Williams America’s founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference. How come Henry Vane the Younger, who argued against beheading the English king, was himself beheaded for helping behead said king? Good question. What does it take to get that jezebel Anne Hutchinson to shut up? A hatchet. What was the Puritans’ pet name for the Pope? The Great Whore of Babylon. What is the lesson of the Pequot War? Why, don’t fire one of your military’s embarrassingly few Arabic translators just because he’s gay, of course.As in all Vowell’s bestselling books, this exploration of America’s past is both poignant and entertaining. The Wordy Shipmates is rich with historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of America’s celebrated voices.
Sort of snarky and not very deep. But enough empathy for her subjects, and enough anger, to make it something that worked for me in this place and time.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up The Wordy Shipmates. I was familiar with Sarah Vowell's personality, and I've read a lot of history, but I wasn't sure whether this book would be presented as narrative, commentary, or otherwise.
The Wordy Shipmates is essentially a narrative account of the early days of the Massachusettes Bay Colony (the folks who founded Boston just after the first "pilgrims" settled Plymouth). Vowell introduces us to prominent personalities, such as Governor John Wilthrop and Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, as well providing an accessible overview of the various religious overtones at play in the Puritan movement.
I found the overall narrative quite enjoyable. It was paced fairly well, emphasizing particularly notable events in the history without getting bogged down in descriptions of day-to-day life.
I found parts of the religious discussion to be a little sluggish, however. There's a …
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up The Wordy Shipmates. I was familiar with Sarah Vowell's personality, and I've read a lot of history, but I wasn't sure whether this book would be presented as narrative, commentary, or otherwise.
The Wordy Shipmates is essentially a narrative account of the early days of the Massachusettes Bay Colony (the folks who founded Boston just after the first "pilgrims" settled Plymouth). Vowell introduces us to prominent personalities, such as Governor John Wilthrop and Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, as well providing an accessible overview of the various religious overtones at play in the Puritan movement.
I found the overall narrative quite enjoyable. It was paced fairly well, emphasizing particularly notable events in the history without getting bogged down in descriptions of day-to-day life.
I found parts of the religious discussion to be a little sluggish, however. There's a longer section roughly midway through the book that focuses on Roger Williams' disagreements with, and ultimate banishment from, the Boston settlement. The fundamental reasons at play are both complex and important, but the topic itself was pretty dry.
Fortunately, that part of the book is soon followed by an account of the Pequot War, so things pick right up and continue at a flowing pace right through the end.
Overall, I consider this book an excellent companion to a more thorough (and scholarly?) colonial history account. Vowell draws heavily (and successfully!) from primary source materials, and I think her analyses are quite good, but in order to make the book more accessible, it is a bit more dilute than a focused history book (such as those written by David McCullough) generally would be.
She did it again. I gulped down a book about something that (prior to picking up this book) couldn't have interested me less � the Puritan founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Vowell ties these passionate, spiritual, political, blood-thirsty people from our past to today beautifully. I was fascinated to find the basis of separation of church and state came from a passionate preacher. And creepy that he befriended the indians, learned their language and culture, worked hard to convert them to save their souls, and then sold them out as a spy during wartime. Perhaps the book is mainly about that human duality. She includes an amazing quote from a Reagan speech. He was apologizing for the Iran-Contra illegal weapons sales and said 'A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's …
She did it again. I gulped down a book about something that (prior to picking up this book) couldn't have interested me less � the Puritan founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Vowell ties these passionate, spiritual, political, blood-thirsty people from our past to today beautifully. I was fascinated to find the basis of separation of church and state came from a passionate preacher. And creepy that he befriended the indians, learned their language and culture, worked hard to convert them to save their souls, and then sold them out as a spy during wartime. Perhaps the book is mainly about that human duality. She includes an amazing quote from a Reagan speech. He was apologizing for the Iran-Contra illegal weapons sales and said 'A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not.' I can't imagine a better definition for Stephen Colbert's word 'truthiness'. [return]How is it that I knew nothing about Anne Hutchinson? Talk about a feminist!
