From the New York Timesbestselling author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, an examination of the Puritans, their covenant communities, their deep-rooted idealism, their political and cultural relevance in todays world, and their myriad oddities.
In
The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
travels once again through Americas past, this time to seventeenth-century New England. From the British Library to the Mohegan Sun casino, from the nations first synagogue to a
Mayflower waterslide, Vowell studies the Puritan effect and finds their beliefs about church and state more interesting than their buckles-and-corn reputation would suggest.
She asks:
Was Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop a communitarian, Christlike Christian, or conformitys tyrannical enforcer? Yes! Was Rhode Islands architect Roger Williams Americas founding freak or the father of the First Amendment? Same difference. How come Henry Vane the Younger, who argued against beheading the English king, was himself beheaded for helping behead said king? Good question. 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. What is the lesson of the Pequot War? Why, dont fire one of your militarys embarrassingly few Arabic translators just because hes gay, of course.
As in all Vowells bestselling books, this exploration of Americas past is both poignant and entertaining.
The Wordy Shipmates is rich with historical fact, humorous insight, and social commentary by one of Americas celebrated voices..
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