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The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As an amateur history buff, I can usually get drawn into a well told story of a riveting episode from our past. I must admit that reading about the Puritans has never made it to the top of my list. They always struck me as a stuffy, humorless people hellbent on suffering.

Sarah Vowell's book, The Wordy Shipmates, changed all that. First of all, for those of you unfamiliar with Vowell, she writes about the past with an engaging mix of expansive intelligence and wit. Who knew one could laugh out loud while reading about the exploits of this motley crew of Bible thumping religious zealots?

While Vowell does provide keen analysis and much humor, her greatest achievement is in making the Puritans' story relevant to us today. A long line of American Presidents (such as JFK, Reagan, etc.) and politicians have made use of John Winthrop's "City on the Hill" metaphor. This idea has been twisted into a call for American Exceptionalism that has caused us to turn to a blind eye toward our flaws and overemphasize our superiority over other nations (and led us into numerous wars to prove it).

Those who have narrowly focused on this aspect of Winthrop's thinking fail to acknowledge that deeply embedded within the "City on the Hill" is a profoundly "communitarian ethos" -- the well-being of the least among us is inextricably bound up with our own. It is ironic that in this Christian land, there are some who troll through the past, selectively choosing tidbits to support their claims of greatness while missing this important point entirely.

Highly recommend for those in search of a good laugh while at the same time gaining a deeper understanding of the roots of our current political discourse and conflicts. Enjoy!

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