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Looking for an off-beat, yet intriguing getaway? Something involving a healthy dose of U.S. history and a trio of past presidents, all who have been slain in office? Well, Sarah Vowell did just that and she has crafted a quirky travelogue, that has her visiting and commentating on the key locations and highlights, or is it lowlights, of the assassinations of President’s Garfield, McKinley and Lincoln. Vowell goes deep on all stories, focusing
on the killers individual histories, including this tidbit: Charles Guiteau, Garfield’s assassin, was a member of a New York sex cult, circa the 1840s, which would make Alfred Kinsey cringe. She also cleverly refers to Robert Todd Lincoln as “Jinxy McDeath”, due to his proximity to all three deaths.
Here she describes a visit to the Lincoln Memorial:
“The people who visit the memorial always look like an advertisement for democracy, so bizarrely, suspiciously diverse that one time I actually saw a man in a cowboy hat standing there reading the Gettsyburg Address next to a Hasidic Jew. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had linked arms with a woman in a burka and a Masai warrior, to belt out ‘It’s a Small World After All’, flanked by a chorus line of nuns…”
By the end of this book, I have to confess, I was smitten by this witty, articulate, totally engaging author. ( )

Interesting look at three Presidential assassinations. Loved the author's writing and point-of view ("snarky" is the adjective coming to mind). I felt that I was with her and her pals in many of the locales. Ms. Vowell lost me a little in the last two chapters, though. I will definitely read more of her books. ( )

Seriously amusing and interesting book. Vowell explores the assassinations of three US presidents with a fascination and humor that both entertains and educates. In many ways, Vowell's work echoes Bill Bryson, but without the bitterness towards humanity. Not only does she investigate history, but she parallels its lessons with modern day politics. (The book was published during the "W" administration.) Clearly, history does repeat itself, in some rather funny ways. Eager to read her other works. ( )

Probably the best of Sarah Vowell’s excellent collection of first person looks at American history. This book strikes a perfect balance between Vowell’s irreverence for convention and reverence for her nation’s history.

Like always she is funny, informative and thought provoking. ( )