Assassination Vacation

By: Sarah Vowell

Narrated by: Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, Stephen King, Dave Eggers

New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates and contributor to NPR’s This American Life Sarah Vowell embarks on a road trip to sites of political violence, from Washington DC to Alaska, to better understand our nation’s ever-evolving political system and history.

Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other—a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue—it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and—the author’s favorite—historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult.©2005 Sarah Vowell; (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Quirky but highly informative

Both my husband and I listened to this book, as did our children when they were forced to in the car. Agreed, her delivery is a bit odd, and her voice takes a bit of getting used to, but I learned more US history (which says a lot, since that was my minor in university) from the 5 hours of this book than I learned in an entire university course. The depth of her knowledge on this topic is extensive, and her patriotism -- being defined as a true love for her country, not the flag-waving, blind devotion to AMERICA that the Right seems to define as the only "true" patriotism -- is undeniable. Her quirky humour kept me laughing, and the historical trivia kept me riveted through four or five straight days of commuting. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a different perspective on American history -- should be a hit with fans of Jon Stewart!

Good book but did not translate well to audio

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I found the bits of trivia entertaining, but I would have rather read it than listened to it.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I enjoyed Sarah on NPR, but in this book her reading was dry and there was no emphasis to those lines that would've read as quirky and humorous. Depending on the section it would either bore me or annoy me, instead of pull me into the story.

Do you think Assassination Vacation needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I might be interested, but I would read it instead.

Any additional comments?

It's not a problem with the story, but instead with the narration.

Fun stuff

This book was both educational and entertaining. Vowel's take on things is very interesting, and she weaves the facts and her hilarious perspective on them in a witty
and engaging way.

Thee Best

Probably my favortie book from Sarah Vowell. Great guest narration. Well edited. Great original music that works with the tone of the book. Tippy top notch.

A must for anyone interested in history.

Any additional comments?

Sarah Vowell has such a unique approach to history. This book is filled with fascinating details and was a joy to listen to - especially with her reading it.