Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell  288 pp.

Sarah Vowell, author of Assassination Vacation, takes on the Revolutionary War and the life of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, the French 19 year old who travels to the Colonies in search of military glory fighting against the British. As she did with the previous book, Vowell combines historical fact, interesting historical anecdotes, and her own frequently snarky commentary on the events. Once again she toured pertinent battlefields, museums, and historic sites with mixed appreciation. It's Vowell's commentary that make her books worth reading and I found many times I laughed out loud at her take on events. 

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States / Sarah Vowell, 288 pp.

I tried reading this on paper and only got about halfway; listening to the audio I was, as always with Vowell, delighted.  Vowell brings Lafayette and his revolutionary times to life.  Depending on the listener, one might be tickled or annoyed to learn that the outcome of that fateful war was heavily determined by a boy, and a French one at that.  Lafayette's military prowess was important, but it may have been his influence at the French court and the millions that court ultimately provided that won the day.  Vowell makes Lafayette the man vivid; his wild enthusiasm for adventure and liberty and his father-love for George Washington are positively endearing.

Ultimately, though, I think Vowell uses historical figures and events as filters to examine what it means to be American, both now and in the past.  Her snarky, cynical take on things is oddly reassuring; if things look bleak now, they've looked bleaker before, and we seem to have survived.