The Wordy Shipmates

By: Sarah Vowell

Narrated by: Sarah Vowell

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times best-selling author Sarah Vowell's exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop's "city upon a hill" - a shining example, a "city that cannot be hid."

To this day, America views itself as a Puritan nation, but Vowell investigates what that means - and what it should mean. What was this great political enterprise all about? Who were these people who are considered the philosophical, spiritual, and moral ancestors of our nation? What Vowell discovers is something far different from what their uptight shoe-buckles-and-corn reputation might suggest. The people she finds are highly literate, deeply principled, and surprisingly feisty. Their story is filled with pamphlet feuds, witty courtroom dramas, and bloody vengeance. Along the way she asks:

Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, a Christlike Christian, or conformity's tyrannical enforcer? Answer: Yes!

Was Rhode Island's architect, Roger Williams, America's founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference.

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.

Sarah Vowell's special brand of armchair history makes the bizarre and esoteric fascinatingly relevant and fun. She takes us from the modern-day reenactment of an Indian massacre to the Mohegan Sun casino, from old-timey Puritan poetry, where "righteousness" is rhymed with "wilderness," to a Mayflower-themed waterslide. Throughout, The Wordy Shipmates is rich in historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of America's most celebrated voices. Thou shalt enjoy it.

©2008 Sarah Vowell (P)2008 Simon & Schuster

I love this author

...and her quirky brain. An American history junkie, she is without equal in bringing the past alive with her droll reading, her sharp wit, and her command of details. Who can explicate better than she the interdependence of religion, politics, philosophy, and weather? Her research must have been relentless: her thorough grasp of primary sources and how they link together make it seem as though the research was as much fun as a proverbial barrel of primates. What's astounding is how she makes history fun for the reader as well.
The past is prologue, no one reminds us of this better than Vowell.

History as reported by "The Daily Show"

This is wonderful. I am biased. I love neurotic, intelligent, sarcastic women. Oh baby. It's a good thing I encountered this in audio format because my eyes kept rolling back in my head at the sheer wonderfullness of it.

She isn't intimidated by history, and she brings history alive in a quirky and relevant way. She enhances the narrative with just the right amount of historical context, and then shows how politicians today are influenced by these characters even today.

I think if you like "The Daily Show" you will like this. Oh, and if you like "This American Life." You don't have to like both, just one will do.

On the quibble front, the interspersing of quotes didn't work as well as it could have. It left Ms. Vowell sounding like she was at the end of her sentence when it was the middle. I suggest she read the full sentence and the audio engineer insert the actors' voices, so it sounds like she is a really good mimic rather than she stopped and someone else started.

A Rewarding Surprise

This was my first experience with Sara Vowell, so I was unsure of what I was getting into as she began her sqeaky, little-girl's voice narration. My first reaction was that the whole thing was going to be a slapstick sarcastic tirade about American historical events, and I was a bit wary. As the narrative evolved, however, I began to appreciate the depth of historical understanding Vowell possesses and portrays. While her voice continues to highlight (and thus comment upon) various historical incongruencies in America's past, its famous personalities' heroic hypocracies, and the horrific injustice thrust upon indigenous peoples under the banner of liberty and liberality, she manages to treat events of the distant past with a large degree of contextual fairness. Though I listened to this book over a month ago, many scenes and passages from it still weigh on my conscieousness and I feel I've come away better educated and wanting more.

While it is possible to eventually adjust to Vowell's unusual voice, the layering in of the many male voices making up her textual quotations really does not work. There is an uncomfortable pause and break in nearly every case, and the effect is that the whole performance sounds like a student readers' theater. I would vote for one skillful reader to replace all present readers for one serious and meaningful performance.

enchanting and funny portrait of american history

Sarah manages to make old news topical. She is capable of relating American History with American news all the while making Anne Hutchinson a girl youd like to see drunk.

A little slow, but worth it

I love Vowel's holistic view of American history and enjoy her books. In Wordy Shipmates, her usual [irreverent] humor was subdued. In spite of this the book was enjoyable and it had a powerful ending.

Making the Puritans, purely delightful

This is not my normal type of book, but I saw Sarah Vowell on John Stewart's The Daily Show and thought I would give it a try. Ms. Vowell's ironic twist on the world of today and the world of the past made me laugh and think. Ms. Vowell reads her own work which makes it even better. Who else could deliver her words with the proper touch of humor mixed with history.

great story

I loved the story of puritan history and the way the author wrote it made it even more exciting to read

Fun take on second batch of Pilgrims and their long shadow

I enjoy Sarah Vowell's personality driven narrative with its unexpected and sometimes poignant connections...but some don't. That said, I learned a great deal about this "city on a hill" group and their many defectors and enemies, as well as partisans. And I laughed not infrequently. A rare combination!

I love Sarah Vowell, but

This is not her best. Interesting, but I never really connected with any of the characters. I know it's not a novel, but I wish I admired these "Wordy Shipmates" as much as Sarah does. I did enjoy hearing about the "city upon a hill" references.

History and Humor

I have always loved Sarah Vowell's dry wit. Enjoying that while learning important and riveting history makes for the type of experience that makes for a very enjoyable audiobook.