Friday, December 11, 2009

12/11

12/11

The Book: Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

ISBN: 978-0-7432-6004-6

Where: Doctor's Office

When: 12-2p

Music:

Company: Angry people

Pages: 125-255


The Lead In: I think the theory of assassination as lionizing its victims is an interesting theory. Lincoln, killed on Good Friday, has benefited (historically anyway) from the reaction to his death. Many people hated his handling of the Civil War, however, his death really brought the world around to his side. It's interesting. We can also thank assassination for giving us President Teddy Roosevelt, just for the record.


Is he smiling at the shooter?


The 411 on the 55: The first section was Lincoln, the second Garfield. She points out how uninteresting Garfield is, condensing his career as a politician to one paragraph. The story she tells of his murderer Charlie Guiteau is way more interesting. Apparently he was an absolute maniac, didn't save him from the noose though.


The last section is on McKinley's death, in comparison to the other two Presidents covered, really got a short shrift. She motors right through his death. Of course, my favorite part is the mention of TR (my favorite president, by far) and some of his crazy-ass exploits. What a man!


Line(s) of the Day: "History is one war after another with a bunch of murders and natural disasters in between." pg 208


"If there is a recurring theme in Garfield's diaries it's this: I'd rather be reading." pg 134


The 20/20: Vowell's work is an impressive amount of history, sandwiched between sarcasm and slapstick. It's infinitely readable and, almost certainly, will lead to more reading of her work. Assassination Vacation is my kind of reading, describing the kind of visits I would make. It's a great read and a fun look at some unfunny events.


Fact on the Fiction: The abridged audiobook for this book has an amazing cast of voices including Conan O'Brien, Stephen King, Jon Stewart, and Dave Eggers. Wikipedia

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