Assassination Vacation

By: Sarah Vowell

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

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

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 lighter diversions into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a 19th-century biblical sex cult.

In Order of Appearance:
Conan O'Brien...Robert Todd Lincoln
Eric Bogosian...John Wilkes Booth
Stephen King...President Abraham Lincoln
Dave Eggers...Mike Ryan
Catherine Keener...Gretchen Worden
Jon Stewart...President James A. Garfield
Tony Kushner...John Humphrey Noyes
Brad Bird...Charles Guiteau & Emma Goldman
Daniel Handler...President William McKinley
Greg Giraldo...President Theodore Roosevelt
David Rakoff...Leon Czolgosz

©2005 Sarah Vowell (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Multi-Voiced Performance
• 2005 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, Humor

"Vowell has a perspective on American history that is definitely funny." (School Library Journal)
"Wacky, weirdly enthralling....This is history at its most morbid and most fascinating and, fortunately, one needn't share Vowell's interest in the macabre to thoroughly enjoy this unusual tour." (Publishers Weekly)
"An engaging tour....Audiobook listeners get serious bang for their buck, including guest appearances by Stephen King (as Lincoln), Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, and Eric Bogosian, among others." (AudioFile)

Excellent

Just not sure why there was music in some places but not others. Otherwise enjoyed it.

Too much for me...

I like the author and find her other work good. This book is good, but I am not enough of an assasination history fan to stick this out. I think it's too creepy.

Thoughtful, funny, and engaging history

At this point in her career, I'm pretty sure Sarah Vowell is comfortable with her voice. Does it take getting used to? Yes. Is it a perfect match for the material? Absolutely. Vowell's speech, like her writing, is unique. The combination engaged my attention in a way that the smooth, steady, mid-range narration of professional readers does not.

Vowell's curiosity, openness and love of her subjects is evident whether she's talking about Abraham Lincoln or the docent showing her around a little wreck of a museum. Even as she prods and pokes fun she does so with genuine affection.

The only misstep was using Brad Bird for Emma Goldman's voice. For me, that crossed the line from the humorous portrayals of the other subjects into mean caricature. Honestly, there are so few female subjects in the book, did we really need a man to provide her voice?

Learn and laugh.

If you enjoy America history and you like to smile this is a great listen.

Very entertaining trip!

Her voice takes some getting used to. It helped that she had friends cover some of the characters. I feel like a kindred spirit and got to live vicariously through her travels. Since I agree with her politics, I had no problem with that aspect of the book.

These are somber events in history, but Ms. Vowell has a way of making them interesting and entertaining. I've been a student of Lincoln, his wife and the Civil War for many years so I knew most of what she covered and still I would listen again.

I didn't know as much about the other assassinations. While they weren't covered in as much detail, there was enough to whet my appetite to learn more.

Well worth repeat listens!

Always love Sarah Vowell

Funny and sad. I have never felt so heartbroken for Garfield. I recommend it for history buffs with a sense of dark humor.

The best one yet!

Obscure, delightful, poetic and hilarious - I would buy, read, watch and listen to anything by Sarah Vowell. She makes me proud to be an American. This is the best thing I have ever listened to from Audible. Do yourself a favor and get this one.

Where has this book been all my life?

Loved it so much I am now going through everyone of Sarah Vowell's books on this site. This book is dark yet funny, preoccupied by death, full of fun, interesting historical facts and peppered with contemporary humor. This book rules.

Incredibly interesting and entertaining

This "book" is everything most history books are not; fascinating, entertaining, and (oddly, given the subject matter) fun. Sarah's voice is perfect for conveying her material, and she does as well as any professional reader.

Hint: The first anecdote will confuse you at first, but all becomes clear-- even hilarious-- after just a couple minutes.

I've listened to it several times and enjoy it every time.

a fun and funny educational tour

taught me a lot, very enjoyable. Author does a great job with reading. get it.