The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times–bestselling 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 anc... (show more)
The Wordy Shipmates is New York Times–bestselling 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. (show less)
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The only reason I didn't give this book a full five stars is pretty petty... it isn't my all-time favorite book ever. But it does rank up there! I ... (show more)
The only reason I didn't give this book a full five stars is pretty petty... it isn't my all-time favorite book ever. But it does rank up there! I love Sarah's cheeky treatment of -- well -- everything. She knows her history (not always the case with people who like to groan about it) and manages to weave a deliciously coherent narrative around some pretty disjointed characters.
As a part-Cherokee, solidly-citified, religiously tolerant but inadherent girl -- much like myself -- Sarah takes a look back to our Puritanical roots through the stories of several folks who helped founded Boston, were tossed out of there -- or both. She doesn't spare us the often-gory details as people wipe one another out because of a variety of differences -- most of them petty.
Sarah also avoids the white-washing of individuals -- recognizing that even the most disgusting of behavior doesn't fully define an individual. She tries to tell both sides, even when it would have been easy to tell us a version that vilifies a particularly cruel character -- how would we know the good-guy stuff if she hadn't read his diary in its entirety and told us about it?
Overall, I loved this book. But I've already told you that. Go! Read! (show less)
This book surprises me. I expected it to be funny, or at least witty, but it reads like a particularly well written senior thesis at Harvard. It ex... (show more)
This book surprises me. I expected it to be funny, or at least witty, but it reads like a particularly well written senior thesis at Harvard. It explores how the myth of a Shining City on a Hill has manifested itself throughout our history, from Winthrop through Reagan. It probes whether the separation of church and state protects the church or the state.
I especially enjoy Vowell's exploration of the concepts of dependence and independence, and how we maybe went wrong as a nation by picking the myth of independence over the one where we give and give and give to our neighbor until it hurts, just because that is what our society and our God demands of us. This seems particularly trenchant as we watch the orgy of greed implode, with a lot of collateral damage.
But this book really isn't what I expected. I probably wouldn't have picked up a book on our Puritan predecessors if it hadn't been written by Vowell, so I applaud her for tricking me into journeying with her back to early Boston. She says she has a thing for wishy-washy zealots and that's what kept her going on this book in the face of hipsters who would quickly change the subject when she told them about her latest project. (show less)
There’s very few pleasures like an accessible, engaging, page-turning, humorous nonfiction book. This is definitely one of them, and I fully intend to read everything that Vowell has penned. Her book on the obsessively-literate “Jesus-freaks” that established the Massachusetts Bay Colony is as charming as it is thought-provoking. She details the lives of John Winthrop, Roger Williams, John Cotton, and Anne Hutchinson and how they formed not only their colony but laid the foundation of the Uni... (show more)
There’s very few pleasures like an accessible, engaging, page-turning, humorous nonfiction book. This is definitely one of them, and I fully intend to read everything that Vowell has penned. Her book on the obsessively-literate “Jesus-freaks” that established the Massachusetts Bay Colony is as charming as it is thought-provoking. She details the lives of John Winthrop, Roger Williams, John Cotton, and Anne Hutchinson and how they formed not only their colony but laid the foundation of the United States. Somehow, Vowell manages to bring them to life (probably more so than any historical text I’ve ever read) with both understanding and respect and even love (and a true eye for human character), but also a cautionary and deeply, justifiably critical eye. While Vowell is in love with Winthrop, I found myself falling for Roger Williams, despite his immature behavior. You got to admire a guy to fights tooth and nail for freedom of religion in a Puritan colony. This is the best way possible to look at history. Fascinating, powerfully educating, and just plain wonderful. Grade: A+
“The United State is often called a Puritan nation. Well, here is one way in which it emphatically is not: Puritan lives were overwhelmingly, fanatically literary…the country that became the U.S. bears a closer family resemblance to the devil-may-care merchants of New Amsterdam than it does to Boston’s communitarian English majors.”
“We must delight in each other, make other’s conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body.”-John Winthrop
“Let us thank God for having given us such ancestors; and let each successive generation thank Him, not less fervently, for being one step further from them in the march of ages.” –Nathaniel Hawthorne
“I find him hard to like, but easy to love.”
“And while [Roger Williams] would happily—happily!—harangue any other persons of faith for days on end about how wrong they are, he does not think they should be jailed or hit or stabbed or shot for their stupidity, the eternal flames of hell being punishment enough.”
“I fall for those words every time I hear them, even though they’re dangerous, even though they’re arrogant, even though they’re rude.” (show less)
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I am due for light reading, after reading this one, The Elementary Particles, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Stone Virgin all concurrently. I had read a few reviews that people who liked Vowell's Assassination Vacation (which I loved!) thought this one was too academic and not personal enough. That's one reason I decided to listen on CD, since it's read by the author. I'm glad I did, since listening to her tell the story made some material less dry, and there were really good actors reading the parts... (show more)
I am due for light reading, after reading this one, The Elementary Particles, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Stone Virgin all concurrently. I had read a few reviews that people who liked Vowell's Assassination Vacation (which I loved!) thought this one was too academic and not personal enough. That's one reason I decided to listen on CD, since it's read by the author. I'm glad I did, since listening to her tell the story made some material less dry, and there were really good actors reading the parts of some of the historical figures.
(Completely irrelevant, but interesting to me: I recognized a couple of "Daily Show" voices immediately, but some others seemed familiar, but I wasn't sure from where. In the end credits, I recognized at least three names from "The Station Agent" which I'd seen during the same time period I was listening to the book.
On to the book itself: Vowell tells the story of the early puritan settlers of the 1600's. The hardest part to listen to the was the horrifying Pequot massacre. Mostly though, it's about how the puritan culture was in some ways different from our view of it today. Vowell looks in depth at some of the prominent players, like John Cotton, John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson. The "City on a Hill" speech is examined from many different angles. I felt like I should have prepared for this book by re-reading some early American history, but I didn't and I still enjoyed it. The one problem with listening on CD, was having to rewind, which is more difficult than going back and re-reading. I'd still recommend the CD though, especially if you remember your American history better than me! (show less)
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Looks interesting. Considering most of the founders deists that sure would punch a whole in the traditional "anglo christian values" the far right like to promote as the founding of this Nation.
Matthew Riggs 12 days agoThis book has been added to these lists:
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